Lowndes County Woman Sentenced in Methamphetamine and Fentanyl Trafficking and Gun Possession Case

Oxford, MS – A Lowndes County woman was sentenced today to over 12 years in prison for distributing drugs and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes.

According to court documents, Jaquelyne Leiataua, of Columbus, Mississippi pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District to Mississippi to possessing methamphetamine and fentanyl with the intent to distribute and possessing a firearm in furtherance of the drug trafficking crimes. Leiataua was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Glen H. Davidson on Monday to 85 months in prison for the illegal drug charges and 60 months on the firearm charges to run consecutively. She was further sentenced to three years supervised release following her release from prison.

“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.”

“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,” stated Lowndes County Sheriff Eddie Hawkins. “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 Drug Enforcement Administration, the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Clyde McGee prosecuted the case.

This investigation and resulting case are part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.