Ronreco Lashawn Broughton, 38, of Moss Point, is headed to federal prison for a decade after being caught selling guns and drugs to law enforcement. Broughton was sentenced to 120 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola, Jr., followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The sting, orchestrated by the Jackson County Metro Enforcement Team and ATF, exposed a months-long operation rooted in the shadows of Jackson County.
From December 2017 through February 2018, Broughton sold small quantities of methamphetamine, Xanax bars, and marijuana—alongside eight firearms—to undercover operatives. Each transaction tightened the noose. The weapons, legally off-limits due to Broughton’s criminal past, were handed over without hesitation. This wasn’t a momentary lapse—it was a calculated run of illegal trade spanning months.
Broughton’s record sealed his fate. He’s previously been convicted of felony possession of a controlled substance in both Pearl River County and Jackson County. Those convictions made it a federal crime for him to possess any firearm, let alone deal them. The law came down hard: a mandatory decade behind bars under federal sentencing guidelines for armed felons.
On June 13, 2018, a federal grand jury indicted Broughton. He didn’t fight it. On January 23, 2019, he pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. No trial. No excuses. Just a quiet admission of guilt in a courtroom where the evidence was bulletproof—much like the weapons he sold.
He’s now also on the hook for a $5,000 fine, a small price compared to the years he’ll lose. The case was investigated by the Jackson County Metro Enforcement Team and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Annette Williams handled the prosecution, ensuring the conviction stuck.
U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and ATF Special Agent in Charge Dana Nichols confirmed the sentencing yesterday in Gulfport. “Selling guns and drugs as a convicted felon endangers entire communities,” Hurst said. For Broughton, the price of that danger is 120 months in federal custody—time to reckon with the choices that locked him away.
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- Jackson Man Gets 9 Years for Illegal Firearm Possession · Mississippi
Key Facts
- State: Mississippi
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
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