PANOLA COUNTY MAN SENTENCED FOR COCAINE DISTRIBUTION

Aberdeen, MS – Irish Lee of Como, MS was sentenced today to 5 years in prison for distributing cocaine.

According to court documents, Irish Lee, 49, previously pled guilty to cocaine distribution on November 13, 2025. Lee was charged in an indictment which also named Christopher Mack as a co-defendant. Mack also pled guilty to distribution of cocaine and is awaiting sentencing on March 19, 2026 before the Honorable Michael P. Mills, Senior United States District Court Judge.

Senior U.S. District Court Judge Michael P. Mills sentenced Lee today to 60 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release. Lee was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals following sentencing.

U.S. Attorney Scott F. Leary of the Northern District of Mississippi and FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Eikhoff made the announcement.

“Several years ago, our border opened up and drugs poured into our country,” states U.S. Attorney Leary. “The price of drugs then dropped precipitously. Drug cartels took advantage of this situation and made hundreds of millions of dollars by overdosing our kids and taking our money. Cheap drugs resulted in an increase in gang activity and violent crime throughout our district. A response to this crisis was the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative, of which this case is a part. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, drug trafficking rings, human smuggling, child trafficking or other crimes involving children. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting such crimes. The Mississippi HSTF is comprised of agents from FBI, HSI, ATF, DEA, among others, who work closely with the United States Attorney’s Office. I want to commend the FBI for leading this investigation, their tenacity and professionalism is superb. I also want to commend prosecutor Chad Doleac. We are blessed in the Northern District of Mississippi to have the most capable narcotics prosecutors in the nation, and Chad Doleac is one of them. We work for the people of the Northern District of Mississippi. The HSTF initiative is an important component of our service to you. Please contact law enforcement if you become aware of these crimes. We will respond.” 

“Illegal drugs like cocaine devastate communities across our nation and have no place in Mississippi,” states FBI SAC Eikhoff. “Today’s sentencing sends a clear message: drugs will not be tolerated, and Mississippi will not be a safe haven for drug traffickers and distributors. The FBI, the Cleveland Police Department, the Homeland Security Task Force, and our law enforcement partners will continue to work tirelessly to pursue individuals like Mr. Lee who bring these harmful substances into our communities.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Chad Doleac prosecuted the case.