Gulfport Man Gets 105 Months for Illegal Firearm Possession

Gulfport, Miss. — Tony D. Crawford, 24, is headed to federal prison for nearly nine years after being caught with a cache of illegal firearms while actively involved in narcotics trafficking. U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden handed down a 105-month sentence Wednesday, followed by three years of supervised release. Crawford was also slapped with a $5,000 fine.

The takedown stems from a joint investigation that uncovered Crawford’s possession of four weapons: a Ruger 9 mm pistol, a Drago 7.62 caliber pistol, a Taurus 9 mm pistol, and a Hi-Point .45 caliber rifle. On April 20, 2017, he pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm—a charge that carries steep penalties when tied to ongoing criminal activity.

Crawford admitted he used at least some of the firearms during the course of drug operations. Authorities say he never legally should have had access to any weapon, given his prior felony convictions. Instead, he circumvented the law through straw purchasers—individuals with clean records who bought guns on his behalf from licensed dealers, then handed them over for profit.

One such middleman, Isaac Q. Coleman, already paid the price. Coleman pled guilty to making false statements during a firearm purchase. Judge Ozerden sentenced him to seven months in federal prison, five months of home confinement, two years of supervised release, and a $3,500.00 fine. His cooperation may have helped build the case, but it didn’t erase his role in arming a known trafficker.

The investigation was a multi-agency effort led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department. Police from Biloxi, D’Iberville, Gulfport, and Pass Christian all contributed intelligence and street-level work that helped track the flow of illegal guns to Crawford.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stan Harris prosecuted the case, underscoring federal zero-tolerance for felons armed and active in drug trade. U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and ATF Special Agent in Charge Dana Nichols emphasized that illegal firearms in the hands of traffickers pose a direct threat to public safety—ones the feds intend to stamp out one sentence at a time.