Why is Taxstone serving time in prison? Incarcerated former rapper charged with alleged attempt to smuggle contraband

American TV personality Taxstone, whose actual name is Daryl Campbell, was recently given a second sentence. He was allegedly involved in a contraband plot that was cracked down on March 6, 2025, by the Brooklyn-based Metropolitan Detention Centre, where he has been kept after his previous arrest, as per The Source.

Meanwhile, Taxstone is currently serving a 35-year term for fatally shooting rapper Troy Ave's bodyguard.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York, authorities charged Taxstone with smuggling contraband as part of an eight-inmate bust for smuggling or possession.

Between April and June 2024, Campbell allegedly conspired with five other prisoners to smuggle cigarettes, narcotics, a scalpel, and other prohibited things inside MDC Brooklyn, the press release stated. As per the phone records received by the authorities, the plot involved prisoners retrieving contraband from outside the facility using an improvised rope system.

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Taxstone had run-ins with the law before

According to a press statement from federal prosecutors, they recovered phone recordings from an illicit cell phone. In these recordings, Campbell described how he threw a "line" out of an MDC window so that an accomplice outside could attach contraband, which could then be dragged back inside, as per a report by HotNewHipHop dated March 7, 2025.

The press release alleged:

"In several voice recordings found on [a contraband cell phone], Campbell explained his method of throwing a ‘line’ out of a window of MDC-Brooklyn for a co-conspirator on the outside to ‘hook’ or attach contraband, which could then be pulled back inside.”

Correctional officers intercepted a parcel tied to the rope on June 30, 2024, disrupting the operation. Suboxone, a medication used to treat opiate addiction, marijuana, lighters, cigarettes, a scalpel, and a phone charger were among the things seized.

As per a report by Complex, John J. Durham, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement on March 6, 2025, that his office is "working tirelessly" on these matters:

“These actions undermine the order and security of MDC-Brooklyn and endanger everyone within its walls.. These charges serve as a warning to those who would engage in criminal conduct behind bars, and anyone else who facilitates those crimes: your conduct will be uncovered, and you will be held accountable.”

Taxstone could be sentenced to an additional 10 years in jail if found guilty on the new charges. He is one of eight prisoners at MDC Brooklyn who have been accused of crimes involving contraband.

His involvement in the fatal shooting of Troy Ave's bodyguard in 2016 at Irving Plaza in New York City during a T.I. concert resulted in his conviction in 2023.

Troy Ave's bodyguard, Ronald "Banga" McPhatter, was shot and killed in the incident, while the former suffered injuries to both legs. The brawl also resulted in the critical injuries of two additional concertgoers, a man and a woman, as reported by The Source.

A jury found him guilty of manslaughter in Banga's death and convicted him on three charges of assault and two weapon charges. Nevertheless, he was exonerated of both attempted and actual murder. Taxstone has vowed to challenge the conviction even though he was sentenced to 35 years in prison.

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Besides Taxstone, a former correctional officer is also charged on March 6, 2025, for trying to illegally enter the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn with cigarettes and marijuana, as per The Source. Authorities have also charged 16 other people, including a member of the MS-13 gang, with crimes involving fraud and violent assaults inside MDC.

A most recent violent incident at the facility was the attack on Karl Jordan, the man found guilty of killing Run-D.M.C.'s Jam Master Jay, as per a report by HipHopDX dated March 7, 2025. He was stabbed on February 22, 2025, and has since healed from the multiple wounds.

Five persons have been charged in relation to the attack: Hugo Rodriguez, Juan Lopez, Jowenky Nunez Jr., Elvis Trejo, Franklin Gillespie, and Brian Castro. Over 20 prisoners required medical evaluations as a result of the fight, and at least five were admitted to the hospital. Ten were slashed or stabbed, as per the same outlet.