A Laurel man was sentenced today to 70 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute a substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.

According to court records, 46-year-old Danny Ray Cole was caught distributing pills to a buyer that contained 12.46 grams of a substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine. Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that defendant had additional amounts of drugs in his possession.

Cole was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 6, 2023, and pled guilty on December 12, 2023, to possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi and Acting Special Agent in Charge Eric DeLaune of Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans made the announcement.

Homeland Security Investigations and the Jones County Sheriff’s Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Allen prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.