A Picayune man has been sentenced to over 18 years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Joshua Smith, 39, was sentenced to 222 months in U.S. District Court in Gulfport on Wednesday after court documents showed that he was involved in a large-scale drug trafficking organization a little under a decade ago.
Records stated that officers began investigating in 2015 after receiving reports that the organization was located largely in Picayune and other areas of Pearl River County.
Three years later, Smith and another co-defendant were identified as being part of the conspiracy. Federal agents then used a confidential source to begin making purchases of methamphetamine with Smith.
On November 2, 2018, a DEA confidential source purchased 27.4 grams of actual methamphetamine at 99 percent purity from Smith in Picayune.
Smith was indicted on September 7, 2022, and pled guilty on April 5, 2023, to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
