Miguel McCallum, Methamphetamine Trafficking, Mississippi 2023

Miguel McCallum, 43, of Hattiesburg, is headed to federal prison for 20 years after being convicted in a high-volume methamphetamine trafficking operation that poisoned streets in south Mississippi. U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett handed down the 240-month sentence on Thursday, marking the end of a DEA-led investigation that peeled back layers of a local drug network.

McCallum pled guilty on December 13, 2018, to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine—a charge that carried steep consequences given the quantity of drugs and presence of firearms. He was also sentenced to ten years of supervised release and ordered to pay a $25,000 fine, a small price compared to the damage wrought by his operation.

The investigation zeroed in on McCallum after DEA agents gathered intelligence pointing to his central role in distributing meth across the Hattiesburg area. Surveillance and informants painted a picture of a calculated dealer operating under the radar—until agents moved in.

On May 9, 2018, federal agents executed a search warrant at McCallum’s Hattiesburg residence. Inside, they found 3 firearms and approximately 3 pounds of marijuana—serious enough charges on their own. But the real blow came during a secondary search: 142.8 grams of methamphetamine, stashed inside a jacket in the front closet, sealed the case.

The drugs weren’t for personal use. The quantity, combined with packaging materials and recorded transactions, confirmed prosecutors’ claims that McCallum was moving weight regularly, feeding addiction and fueling violence in the community. Federal law mandates harsh penalties for such offenses, especially when weapons are involved.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shundral H. Cole. U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and DEA Special Agent in Charge Brad L. Byerley emphasized that convictions like McCallum’s are part of a broader push to dismantle drug supply chains at the local level—where the damage is most felt.

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