Jackson, Miss. – A Jackson man was sentenced to 175 months in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base, also referred to as “crack”, announced U.S. Attorney Darren LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

According to court documents, Kenneth Lofton, 44, and his co-defendants negotiated and conducted the sale of cocaine base in the Jackson area in January 2020.  Surveillance, confidential source information and additional intercepted communications also revealed that Lofton and his co-defendants distributed various quantities of other controlled substances, including cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana.

In addition to his prison sentence, Lofton was ordered to pay a $1,500 fine.

Lofton pled guilty on June 22, 2021, in U.S. District Court in Jackson.

The case is the result of an extensive investigation, dubbed “Hailstorm,” which began as an operation targeting illegal drug trafficking in the Jackson, Mississippi area. “Hailstorm” is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Jackson Police Department and the Ridgeland Police Department.   The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Keesha Middleton.