ATLANTA — There are new allegations for Young Thug and a fellow Young Slime Life defendant after authorities said they were caught distributing drugs in a hand-to-hand trade in the middle of the Fulton County courtroom, court records show.
The rapper, whose real name is Jeffrey Williams, has been accused of being the ringleader of the YSL gang, which has a heavy presence in Georgia, according to the Fulton County District Attorney's Office.
Records allege the action happened after the court was called to order Thursday following the continuation of jury selection in the impending YSL RICO trial. Co-defendant Kahlieff Adams -- who is currently serving a life sentence without parole for murder -- walked up to the Atlanta rapper and made the drug exchange, according to court documents and surveillance video.
Surveillance video from the courtroom shows Adams getting up from his seat and walking toward Young Thug and his lawyer in the middle of the courtroom. Adams then extends his right hand toward Williams, where he willingly accepts what he is being given and places his hands under the table to conceal the contraband, the court alleges.
Adams is now facing new charges for that alleged exchange that took place Thursday, according to court documents. However, Young Thug is not.
Take a look at the exchange inside the courtroom below
"When someone is in a courtroom and he or she is on trial, they are not able to move from the counsel table unless until a deputy sheriff or two escorts them," a lawyer said. "And oftentimes they're shackled, so this is beyond stunning."
According to a motion filed Thursday, Young Thug was given Percoset from Adams. A sheriff's office deputy who saw the exchange walked up to Williams and demanded that he hand over the drugs. Williams complied and gave up the contraband to the deputy, the motion said.
Deputies inside the courtroom then attempted to search Adams, despite his resistance. The search led to the discovery of more drugs on Adams, including Percocet, marijuana, tobacco and other drugs wrapped in plastic and food seasonings in order to mask the odor of the marijuana, court documents stated.
Adams was then taken to Grady Hospital after it appeared that he had ingested other drugs he previously had on him "in an effort to conceal the (extend) of his crimes within the courtroom."
The court was delayed because of the alleged drug exchange that was described in court documents as "illegal acts of possession and distribution, respectively, of contraband inside the Fulton County Courthouse."
Jury selection for the YSL trial is expected to take five weeks, as the court is deciding the 12 jurors and alternates who could serve months for a trial that could last much of 2023.