Gulfport, Miss.  — A Lemon Grove, California man pled guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

According to court documents, on October 8, 2021, Albert Joseph Jones, 31, was stopped by an agent with the South Mississippi Metro Enforcement Team for a traffic violation. Jones was the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle. A K-9 hit on the vehicle for the presence of narcotics. A search of the vehicle produced eighteen (18) heat-sealed packages of cocaine.

Jones is scheduled to be sentenced on November 16, 2022, at 1:30 p.m., in Gulfport. He faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison and a $5,000,000 fine. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and its FBI Task Force, and the South Mississippi Metro Enforcement Team.  It is prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Jones.