Gulfport, MS - A Northport, Alabama man pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit pharmacy burglaries throughout the Southeastern United States.

According to documents and information presented to the court, Demirus White, 25, and his coconspirators, Kendrell Cross and Xavier Jennings, conspired to burglarize numerous pharmacies in Mississippi, including pharmacies located in Petal, Florence, Flora, Mathiston, Starkville, Belzoni, and Wiggins. In addition, they conspired to burglarize pharmacies located in Tennessee, Florida, and Alabama. Law enforcement officers were able to identify White and his coconspirators through phone records that placed them near the locations of the pharmacy burglaries at or near the time of the burglaries, data recovered from the extractions of their phones, plus the recovery of one of Cross's DNA from a pharmacy that was burglarized.

Law enforcement officers also learned that the burglary ring used stolen high-performance vehicles to commit the burglaries and subsequently flee from law enforcement. Cross was ultimately arrested after stealing such a vehicle from a dealership in Laurel, Mississippi and fleeing from police.

Cross was previously sentenced to 41 months imprisonment and ordered to pay restitution of $116,008.11. Xavier Jennings is scheduled to be sentenced on November 5, 2026. Demirus White's sentencing is scheduled for March 2, 2027. Both Jennings and White face a statutory maximum sentence of ten years imprisonment.

U.S. Attorney Baxter Kruger for the Southern District of Mississippi and Acting Assistant Special Agent in Charge Warner "Brooks" Benson of the Drug Enforcement Administration made the announcement.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics investigated the case with assistance from state and local law enforcement agencies throughout Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, and Florida.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Buckner is prosecuting the case.

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice's nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys' offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department's commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump's Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.