A Little Elm man has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison in a case involving drone drops of contraband at a Texas Department of Criminal Justice facility in the Eastern District of Texas, U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs announced.
Tyler Joseph Gatten, 33, also known as Chains, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine. U.S. District Judge Sean D. Jordan sentenced him to 300 months in federal prison on October 28, 2026.
According to information presented in court, Gatten led a conspiracy that used drones to smuggle methamphetamine and cellphones into Texas state prisons for resale to inmates. While in pretrial detention, he was indicted in a second drug conspiracy case involving inmates and correctional officers, according to the announcement.
The case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative, which was established by Executive Order 14159.