Inside time: Alice Johnson in federal prison

Alice Marie Johnson, a mother-of-five, grandmother-of-six and great-grandmother of one, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after being convicted of drug dealing in 1996.

It was her first conviction and some of her co-conspirators testified her against in exchange for plea deals.

The 63-year-old grew up in Olive Branch, Mississippi, and was married and pregnant by age 15.

In 1989, she and her husband divorced. Her life started to crumble as she struggled, as a single mother, to try and be financially stable for her five children, reports Mic. However, in 1990, because of a gambling addition, she was sacked by FedEx Corporation.

After filing for bankruptcy in 1991, Johnson lost her house. The next year, a scooter accident claimed the life of her youngest son, Cory.

It was while she was at rock bottom that Johnson became involved in a drug syndicate that imported cocaine into Memphis, Tennessee, where she acted as a go-between and passed on messages to drug dealers, relaying coded messages like 'everything is straight' by telephone.

While admitting to acting as a middle man for the drug traffickers, passing on the messages in code via telephone, Johnson claims she never directly sold drugs.

She was arrested along with 15 others in 1993 on charges including conspiracy to possess cocaine, attempted possession of cocaine and money laundering.

But ten of her alleged co-conspirators turned against her in exchange for reduced sentencing or dropped charges.

During the trial, evidence showed an operation with Texas-based Colombian drug dealers and their Memphis connections trading tons of cocaine for millions of dollars in cash.

At the time of Johnson's February 1997 sentencing the amount of drugs and money involved meant that federal laws mandated a life sentence, despite the fact Johnson was a first-time, nonviolent offender.

US District Judge Julia Gibbons, who sentenced Johnson, called the then 42-year-old the 'quintessential entrepreneur' of the drug ring.

Mom: Alice Johnson is now a great-grandmother as well

'And clearly the impact of 2,000 to 3,000 kilograms of cocaine in this community is very significant,' Gibbons said at the sentencing.

The quantity of cocaine - up to three tons - would now be worth about $85 million.

Johnson was 21 years into her life sentence at FCI Aliceville, in Aliceville, Alabama before it was commuted by President Donald Trump on May 6.

Her eldest daughter Tretessa Johnson, told Mic several years ago, 'It's like a waking death; it's like the person is alive but they're not. There's never a point of closure, ever. It's heartbreaking for me.'

Tretessa has organized an online petition, via change.org, calling for her to be released, explaining that her family's life 'changed forever' when she was sentenced to life in federal prison.

She said her mother had explained that she became a telephone mule passing messages between her co-conspirators after losing her job at FedEx.

Alice Johnson is quoted on Tretessa's petition: 'I couldn't find a job fast enough to take care of my family. I felt like a failure.

'I went to a complete panic and out of desperation I made one of the worst decisions in my life to make some quick money. I became involved in a drug conspiracy'.

Tretessa said that her 'mom's desire upon release is to assist the community with the needs of ex-offenders to help reduce recidivism.

'It serves no purpose or benefit to society to have her locked up for life. Her large and loving immediate and extended family and friends would welcome her return.'

During her time in prison, Johnson has displayed exemplary behavior, become an ordained minister, a published writer and a prison tutor, a biography from Can Do Clemency reports.

She had gained a large following of people pushing for her to be granted clemency. Part of this push saw her story turned into a short video, which went viral on social media.

Kim Kardashian saw the video and retweeted it to her millions of followers with the caption: 'This is so unfair' in October last year.

Since then, she has been working to help Johnson receive clemency from Trump.

The reality star had her personal lawyer begin working on Johnson's case, and has spent months in conversation with Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and adviser, on the topic.

Kushner - whose father Charles is himself a federal felon - is pushing a criminal justice reform agenda.

A grateful Johnson penned a moving letter to Kardashian, saying her efforts were 'literally helping to save my life'.

'I was drowning, and you have thrown me a life jacket and given me hope,' she wrote.

On May 30, Kardashian went to the White House to secure Johnson's release.

Johnson was released on June 6 after having her sentence commuted.