Walnut Grove Man Pleads Guilty in Drug Trafficking Case

Jackson, Miss. – A Walnut Grove man pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine on the Choctaw Indian Reservation, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Brad Byerley of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Roger Devonta Stokes, 40, pled guilty on September 7, 2023, in U.S. District Court in Jackson. 

According to court documents, tribal and federal investigators conducted a controlled purchase of   methamphetamine from Stokes in the Pearl River Community of the Choctaw Indian Reservation. In June of 2023, a federal grand jury indicted Stokes in a two-count indictment involving the possession and distribution of methamphetamine on the Choctaw Indian Reservation. Stokes entered a plea of guilty to count two of the indictment, which charged possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. As stated in Court, Stokes admitted his role in the offense.

Stokes will be sentenced on December 12, 2023, and faces a penalty of not less than five years and a maximum of 40 years in prison and a $5 million fine.  A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The case was investigated by the Choctaw Police Department of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, the U.S. Department of Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. 

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin J. Payne and Special Assistant United States Attorney Brian K. Burns.