Laurel Man Sentenced to 80 months in Prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

Hattiesburg, Miss.  -- A Laurel man was sentenced to 80 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Acting Special Agent in Charge Edward Owens of Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans.  

Moses Ray McDonald, 44, was sentenced on August 16, 2023, in U.S. District Court in Hattiesburg.   

According to court documents, on June 8, 2022, the Jones County Sheriff’s Office, Narcotics Division, made a controlled purchase of approximately 29 grams of methamphetamine from McDonald at his residence in Laurel, Mississippi.  

McDonald was subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and pled guilty on December 1, 2022.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, Border Enforcement Security Task Force (DHS Gulfport BEST), and the Jones County Mississippi Sheriff’s Office, Narcotics Division. 

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shundral Cole and Andrea Jones.