U.S. Attorney Scott Leary announced on July 29 that Dannie Thomas, of Dacula, Georgia, was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine. The sentencing took place before Chief United States District Court Judge Deborah M. Brown in Greenville, Mississippi.
The case began with the Pontotoc County Sheriff’s Office and involved a Homeland Security Task Force operation. According to court documents, Thomas was found at the time of his arrest with 50 kilograms of cocaine and a large amount of currency. Authorities said Thomas has a lengthy criminal record spanning decades.
Leary said, “For years our communities have been decimated by the trafficking in illegal drugs. Cocaine fosters addiction, and addiction destroys families. Moreover, the illegal drug trade fuels violent crime and subsidizes drug cartels. And the drug cartels not only traffic in drugs but also traffic in human beings. Let’s work together in combatting this scourge. The Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative was designed to encourage state and federal law enforcement cooperation, which is what happened in this case. The Pontotoc County Sheriff’s Office and the DEA did a great job putting this case together. Let’s maintain the momentum.”
DEA Special Agent in Charge John P. Scott said, “This case highlights how critical proactive law enforcement is to our communities… Thanks to the sharp instincts of the Pontotoc County Sheriff’s Deputy and the investigative power of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF), fifty kilograms of cocaine and a massive amount of illicit currency were intercepted before they could do further harm.”
Pontotoc County Sheriff Leo Mask said he is proud to partner with federal authorities, “I am proud to partner with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DEA to reduce the flow of illegal narcotics, and this clearly demonstrates what can be accomplished with that partnership.”
The prosecution was part of an HSTF initiative established by Executive Order 14159 aimed at eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations as well as human smuggling operations inside and outside U.S. borders.