Hattiesburg Man Sentenced to Over 33 Years in Prison for Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

Hattiesburg, Miss. – A Hattiesburg man was sentenced to serve a total of 400 months in federal prison and pay a $10,000 fine for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 5 grams or more of methamphetamine, and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.

Jarvin Maurice Summerall, 38, was sentenced on October 19, 2023, in U.S. District Court.

According to court documents, from October 2021 through December 2021, Summerall conspired with others, including his sister, Tara Shametrice Summerall, to distribute methamphetamine.  The investigation involved multiple controlled purchases and seizures that revealed the scope of the operation, which not only involved over four kilograms of methamphetamine, but seven pounds of marijuana, Lortabs, Percocets, heroin and cocaine being distributed in the Hattiesburg, Forrest County, Mississippi area.   

Co-defendant Tara Summerall entered a plea of guilty and was sentenced on August 2, 2023, to 39 months in prison.   

U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee and acting Special Agent in Charge Brad Byerley of the Drug Enforcement Administration made the announcement.   

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, Lamar County Sheriff’s Office, Hattiesburg Police Department, Forrest County Sheriff’s Office, Marion County Sheriff’s Office, and the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Keesha Middleton.

The case is the result of an extensive investigation targeting illegal drug trafficking in Hattiesburg, Forrest County, and surrounding areas. The case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.