Biloxi man last of 8 indicted, pleads guilty to gun conspiracy
A Biloxi man pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess a firearm, a crime that was related to a drug trafficking investigation that ended with eight arrests in October 2021.
Jamaar Saunders, 29, was the last defendant in the eight-person conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Brad Byerley of the Drug Enforcement Administration. Saunders will be sentenced on Jan. 26, 2023.
According to court documents and information presented to the court, in 2020, the DEA and Gulfport Police Department began investigating a local drug trafficking conspiracy involved in the distribution of oxycodone, marijuana, alprazolam, methamphetamine and pressed fentanyl pills.
As part of the investigation, law enforcement obtained access to the conspirators’ social media and cell phone messages and learned that several members of the organization, like many drug traffickers, possessed firearms to protect themselves, their drugs and their proceeds from the sale of drugs.
Some members of the conspiracy started a side hustle, investing in firearms for subsequent resale.
“Law enforcement officers also discovered that members of the conspiracy transferred firearms between themselves to further the conspiracy’s goals,” according to a release issued by the Department of Justice.
Officers determined that Saunders was involved in the distribution of controlled substances and the acquisition or provision of firearms to at least one other member of the conspiracy.
As a result of this investigation, Saunders, Raheem Lane, Mary Matthews, D’Laun Ball and Malyk Harveston, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Sernareo Barnett, Nigel Saunders and Lafayette Copeland pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.
Each of these offenses carried a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment. “In addition, Lane pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime which exposed him to a consecutive sentence of between five years and life imprisonment,” said the DOJ.
Jamaar Saunders, Ball and Lane are currently awaiting sentencing. The remaining defendants have already been sentenced.
As a result of the charges brought in this case, and related cases that were brought against Kristopher Weaver and Tyrik Frazier, law enforcement seized illegal drugs, firearms and more.
During the investigation, law enforcement officers seized:
25 firearms
More than $25,000 in cash
Six vehicles
Fentanyl, alprazolam, marijuana and methamphetamine
The firearms, cash and vehicles have been or are in the process of being forfeited.
The DEA and Gulfport Police Department investigated this case with assistance from the Biloxi Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Buckner is prosecuting 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 neighborhoods safer for everyone.
