Jackson, Miss. - Yesterday, after a three-day trial, a federal jury in Jackson, Mississippi, found Kevin Lawrence, 44, of Houston, Texas, guilty of conspiring to possess with intent to distribute marijuana, possessing marijuana with the intent to distribute, and use of a communication facility to commit the crime, announced United States Attorney Mike Hurst and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Assistant Special Agent in Charge J. Derryle Smith.
On March 24, 2013, DEA seized approximately 262 pounds of marijuana at local truck stop in Jackson, Mississippi, from Kendrick Applewhite and Steven Davison. Through the course of the investigation, agents learned that Kevin Lawrence had ordered the marijuana and coordinated the pickup of the marijuana with Applewhite and Davison.
On Sept. 20, 2018, Applewhite and Davison pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute 50 kilograms or more of marijuana. They are scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 21, 2018 by Chief U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan III, and each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Judge Jordan, who also presided over the Lawrence case, will sentence Lawrence on Jan. 18, 2019. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
This case was investigated by the DEA Jackson District Office, DEA Gulf Coast High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, and the Jackson Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Chris Wansley and John Meynardie.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
