Yesterday 35 year-old Frederick Arayatanon, of Westminster, California, was found guilty of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, following a three-day trial.
“I applaud the outstanding work of these prosecutors, agents and officers as another major drug dealer and network have been taken down and dismantled, and countless lives have been saved,” said U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst. “While meth continues to be a scourge in Mississippi that is killing our communities, this office and our law enforcement partners will not rest as we continue the fight against this deadly epidemic sweeping our country.”
During the course of a drug investigation that began in 2017, DEA agents discovered that Arayatanon was shipping large quantities of methamphetamine from California to Tuyen Ngoc Le in Biloxi. Once Le received the methamphetamine shipments, she would give them to Demetrius Mason for distribution in the Ocean Springs area.
Le pled guilty on October 16th for her role in the drug conspiracy and will be sentenced on January 15th, 2019. Mason pled guilty for his role and was sentenced on May 31st to 24 years in federal prison.
Arayatanon will be sentenced on January 31st, 2019 and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $10,000,000 fine.
