ABERDEEN — A Columbus man has been sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison after pleading guilty to distributing hundreds of fentanyl pills, U.S. Attorney Scott Leary announced.
Joshua Wilson, 35, was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. U.S. District Judge Robert P. Chamberlin imposed the sentence.
Wilson previously pleaded guilty to distributing hundreds of fentanyl pills, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Mississippi.
“Fentanyl is a synthetic opiate that is roughly 50 times stronger than heroin, and dramatically stronger than oxycodone,” Leary said. He warned that people buying what they believe to be prescription drugs on the black market may instead receive counterfeit pills containing fentanyl.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department Narcotics Unit investigated the case with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Clyde McGee prosecuted the case.
Lowndes County Sheriff Eddie Hawkins said the sentence resulted from collaboration among local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.
“This case sends a clear message: if you distribute fentanyl in our community, we will work together to bring you to justice,” Hawkins said.
DEA Special Agent in Charge John P. Scott said fentanyl continues to pose a deadly threat to communities and that law enforcement agencies will continue working together to hold drug dealers accountable.
The investigation and conviction were part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
