Two Sentenced to Federal Prison on Drug Charges

Jackson, Miss. – Donte L. Evans, 43, of Biloxi, and Cedric Collum, 52, of Jackson, were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate yesterday for their roles in a drug distribution conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Thomas M. Annello, Acting Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans.

Evans was sentenced to five years in federal prison followed by four years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. He received a quantity of cocaine for distribution from a co-conspirator who traveled from Jackson, Mississippi to Biloxi, Mississippi. Evans also sold quantities of cocaine in Gulfport, Mississippi. He pled guilty on January 24, 2018.

Collum was sentenced to five years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute cocaine. He purchased a quantity of cocaine from a co-conspirator in Jackson, Mississippi. Following the purchase of the cocaine, a traffic stop was conducted by the Jackson Police Department and the cocaine was recovered. Collum pled guilty on January 5, 2018.

This case is the result of an extensive investigation, dubbed AOperation Pipeline,@ targeting illegal narcotics distribution in central Mississippi. The distribution network encompasses the states of California, Texas and Mississippi.

The case was a joint investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, with assistance from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Mississippi Highway Patrol, the Jackson Police Department, and the Hinds County Sheriff’s Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erin Chalk.