Hattiesburg, Miss. – A Hattiesburg man was sentenced to 175 months in federal prison for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.

Acting U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca, Special Agent in Charge Brad Byerley of the Drug Enforcement Administration and Special Agent in Charge Kurt Thielhorn of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the announcement.

According to court records, on February 11, 2019, Amos Blanks, 40, distributed approximately 224 grams of methamphetamine to another drug dealer, who then sold the drugs to an individual.   Pursuant to forensic analysis by the DEA, the methamphetamine was determined to be 99% pure.

Blanks was originally indicted for this offense on January 15, 2020.  He pled guilty on July 23, 2020.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew W. Eichner.

This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.