Former MS Coast motel managers plead guilty to dealing drugs out of the motel
Two former Economy Inn managers pleaded guilty to drug charges after an undercover investigation showed they were selling drugs at the motel in Bay St. Louis.
Robert Galloway, 54, and Cassie Louise McKenzie, 42, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance. Each could face up to 20 years in prison.
The guilty pleas were announced in a news release Monday by U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Brad L. Byerley of the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The couple, who were in a relationship, were allegedly dealing methamphetamine and fentanyl out of the Economy Inn on Highway 90 in Bay St. Louis, according to previous Sun Herald reporting.
An undercover investigation was launched into drug activity at the motel earlier this year after four people overdosed and a fifth died of a deadly mixture of methamphetamine and fentanyl.
According to the press release, law enforcement conducted undercover purchases of a methamphetamine/fentanyl mixture from the couple.
In early June, the couple was arrested after a search warrant was executed at the Economy Inn. During the search, law enforcement found 14 grams of a methamphetamine/fentanyl mixture in two separate bags, as well as a firearm, digital scales, and additional unused distribution baggies.
According to previous reporting, Galloway was already a convicted felon at the time of his arrest.
Galloway and McKenzie are scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 14, 2024 by a federal district judge.
