A woman from Lowndes County, Mississippi, was sentenced to more than 12 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to drug distribution and firearm possession related to drug trafficking. Jaquelyne Leiataua of Columbus admitted in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi to possessing methamphetamine and fentanyl with intent to distribute, as well as possessing a firearm during these crimes.
U.S. District Judge Glen H. Davidson sentenced Leiataua on Monday to 85 months for the drug offenses and an additional 60 months for the firearm charge, with sentences set to run consecutively. After her release, she will serve three years of supervised release.
“There are consequences for bringing deadly narcotics into our community and for using firearms to protect that illegal trade,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner. “We are proud to stand with our partners at the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, DEA, and ATF in protecting our citizens from dangerous narcotics and from those that sell them.”
Lowndes County Sheriff Eddie Hawkins commented on the outcome: “Thanks to strong partnerships with state and federal law enforcement partners and thorough investigative efforts, our community is safer with the removal of dangerous drugs and dealers from our streets. Methamphetamine is a substance that devastates individuals and families; those who traffic and sell this poison are contributing to death and destruction. This situation highlights the significance of collaboration in law enforcement. Through our partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, we have successfully prosecuted these offenders and kept them off the streets.”
The investigation was led by multiple agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department, Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Assistant U.S. Attorney Clyde McGee prosecuted the case.
This prosecution falls under an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation which targets high-level criminal organizations through coordinated multi-agency efforts guided by intelligence analysis; more information about OCDETF can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a national program aimed at reducing violent crime through collaboration between law enforcement agencies at all levels along with local communities. The Department of Justice enhanced its violent crime reduction strategy under PSN beginning May 26, 2021; further details about Project Safe Neighborhoods are available at Justice.gov/PSN.
