Hattiesburg, Miss. – A Taylorsville man was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Darren LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Brad Byerley of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

According to court documents, in April of 2020, DEA agents intercepted communications among Harold Keyes, Jr., 29, and his co-defendants conspiring to distribute methamphetamine.  Specifically, on April 24, 2020, agents intercepted methamphetamine related communications occurring in and around a residence in Hattiesburg.   Keyes was stopped by Hattiesburg Police Department for a traffic violation and officers discovered over a kilogram of methamphetamine wrapped in 3 bundles hidden in the front of Keyes’s pants.

In addition to the prison sentence, Keyes was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine.

The case is the result of an extensive investigation, dubbed “Don’t Tell on Me Bro,” which began as an operation targeting illegal drug trafficking in the Hattiesburg, Mississippi area. “Don’t Tell on Me Bro” 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 Drug Enforcement Administration, Lamar County Sheriff’s Office, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, Hattiesburg Police Department, Forrest County Sheriff’s, and Columbia Police Department.