A Greenville man was sentenced Friday to 12 years and 7 months in prison for selling drugs and for possessing guns as a previously convicted felon.

According to court documents, 45-year-old William L. Mays, Jr., of Greenville, Mississippi, pled guilty in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi to one count of distribution of methamphetamine and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

The felon-in-possession charge arises out of Mays’ sale of firearms to a confidential informant.

Mays was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Glen H. Davidson to 151 months for the distribution of methamphetamine and 120 months for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, to run concurrently. He was further sentenced to 3 years of supervised release following his release from prison. Mays is currently in custody.

“The trafficking of illegal narcotics and illegal gun sales are key drivers of violent crime across the Northern District of Mississippi, and it is imperative that offenders are held accountable if we wish to reduce violent crime,” remarked U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner. “There can be no doubt that the sentence imposed in this case will help make the community of Greenville safer.”

“We are pleased with the hard work between the Greenville Police Department and our federal partners” stated Chief Marcus Turner, Greenville P.D. “Although there is much work to be done, it is encouraging to know that the long hours of investigating these crimes are followed to its disposition. We thank the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office for their help in making our community safer.”

The case was investigated by the Greenville Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by AUSA Robert Mims.