Biloxi Man Pleads Guilty to Illegally Possessing Firearm as Drug User

Gulfport, Miss. –   Anthony T. Smith, Jr., 20, of Biloxi, pled guilty today before U.S. District U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden to one count of possession of a firearm by an unlawful drug user, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Michelle Sutphin of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Mississippi Field Office. 

On December 26, 2019, Biloxi Police officers executed a search warrant on the Biloxi residence of Anthony Smith, Jr.  Once inside the residence, the investigators made contact with Smith who was in a bedroom.  They also found a large quantity of marijuana and three firearms, including one sawed-off shotgun.  Smith was interviewed by investigators and asked about the large quantity of marijuana found in his bedroom.  He admitted that he was a daily marijuana user and that he had been smoking every day for the last five to six years.

Anthony Smith, Jr. will be sentenced on November 19, 2020 by Judge Ozerden, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Erica Rose.