4 arrested in federal drug investigation
Local authorities have arrested four more individuals wanted in connection with a four-year federal investigation into large methamphetamine and cocaine trafficking operations that resulted in over 40 arrests in late January, Sheriff Eric Clark and Philadelphia Police Chief Eric Lyons announced.
This brings the local number of people arrested as part of this investigation to 20. The first sweep of roughly 15 arrests locally was made on Jan. 23.
The last outstanding arrest was Delvin Houston who was picked up in Kemper County on March 2 at about 9 a.m.
Houston, 42, 201 Sonny Jones Road, was arrested and charged with sale of a controlled substance.
Clark said he was arrested around 9 a.m. when Kemper County Sheriff’s Deputies showed up at a residence in the area of Preston responding to a call reporting a domestic dispute.
Clark said KCSO made contact with Houston upon arrival and arrested him on the outstanding warrant from Neshoba County. According to Clark local authorities had received several tips about his whereabouts but were unable to make contact with Houston until March 2.
Housotn was in Neshoba County custody by about 10:15 that morning.
Clark said another suspect, Joey Morgan, was arrested in Flowood on Feb. 28. Clark said his office received a tip that Morgan was at a gas station on Grants Ferry Road. Clark said he passed the information on to Rankin County authorities who then encountered Morgan at the Marathon station there around 9 p.m.
Morgan was in local custody by about 10:45 p.m.
Morgan, 38, 1130 Calhoun Road, Louisville, was arrested and charged with the sale of a controlled substance. Clark said Morgan also faces a number of old fines and $25,000 in bond.
“He has a lot hanging over his head,” Clark said.
Lyons said his office made their final two arrests related to the January roundup in February when they brought in Jonathan Daniels and Shalan Graham.
Daniels, 40, 10815 Road 779 was arrested and charged with conspiracy to sell a controlled substance. Lyons said he turned himself in on Feb 5, at about noon.
Graham, 36, 5438 Fishlodge Road, Meridian, was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit a felony related to drug activity in the county. He was arrested on Feb. 8, in Meridian by Meridian Police and was then turned over to Philadelphia Police custody.
The roundup in January was part of a coordinated effort with the U.S. Attorney Southern District of Mississippi crossing multiple jurisdictions including Lauderdale, Newton, Neshoba, Scott, and Jasper counties as well as related arrests in Mexico, California, Texas, and Alabama.
The charges stem from a four-year federal investigation of multiple drug trafficking operations distributing methamphetamine, cocaine, and other illegal drugs, a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s office said.
According to the release, there were about 40 arrests made on Jan. 23 related to the investigation. About 15 of those were in Neshoba County.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi, Acting Special Agent in Charge Eric DeLaune of Homeland Security Investigations, Acting Special Agent in Charge Steve Hofer of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and U.S. Marshal Mark Shepherd.