Meridian Man Pleads Guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

Jackson, MS - A Meridian man pleaded guilty on Tuesday, September 2nd in federal court to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 28, 2023, Jimmy Hodges, 40, was identified by East Mississippi Drug Task Force members as a distributor of narcotics in Lauderdale County, Mississippi. Officers determined that Jimmy Hodges sold methamphetamine on multiple occasions in the district. While executing a search warrant of his home, law enforcement discovered that the home was outfitted with an internal barricade, surveillance system, and delivery door for drug sales along with quantities of methamphetamine and other drugs.

Jimmy Hodges is scheduled to be sentenced on January 5, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting United States Attorney Patrick A. Lemon of the Southern District of Mississippi and ATF Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson made the announcement.

The United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives is investigating the case with assistance from the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office and the East Mississippi Drug Task Force.

Assistant U.S. Attorney C. Brett Grantham is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).