Gulfport, Miss. – A federal jury convicted a Gulfport man yesterday for being an unlawful user of a controlled substance in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Darren LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Brad L. Byerley of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Patrick Darnell Daniels, Jr., 26, was in possession of a handgun and an assault rifle at a traffic stop in Hancock County, Mississippi, on April 25, 2022.  At the time of the possession, Daniels admitted to being an unlawful user of marijuana.  Additional evidence supported his admission, and such evidence was presented to the jury, who deliberated for under an hour before finding him guilty of the one count indictment.

Daniels will be sentenced on October 18, 2022, in Gulfport. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erica Rose and Jonathan Buckner prosecuted the case.