Eddie James Rhodes, Firearms Trafficking, Mississippi 2023

GULFPORT, MS – Eddie James Rhodes, 62, of Stone County, Mississippi, will spend the next seven years in federal prison after being sentenced today for possessing firearms while engaged in drug trafficking. Senior U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola, Jr. handed down the 84-month sentence, followed by five years of supervised release. U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and ATF Special Agent-in-Charge Dana Nichols announced the conviction, a result of a long-running investigation into Rhodes’s illicit activities.

The case dates back to February 2013, when the Stone County/City of Wiggins Narcotics Task Force flagged Rhodes and his associate, Stacey Bond, for suspicious purchases of pseudoephedrine. Investigators noted the pair were buying the chemical in quantities and timeframes consistent with methamphetamine production. A subsequent search of Rhodes’s home turned up a disturbing scene: precursor chemicals, lab equipment, and materials clearly linked to the manufacture of meth. Though no finished product was found, the evidence pointed to a fully operational, albeit hidden, drug lab.

Authorities discovered the majority of the incriminating materials – alongside a cache of firearms and ammunition – secreted away in a concealed compartment beneath a trapdoor in the floor. The investigation revealed a clear conspiracy: Rhodes and Bond worked together, with Bond facilitating the pseudoephedrine purchases that Rhodes then used to cook meth, distributing a portion of the drugs back to Bond. The setup wasn’t just about chemicals; it was about arming the operation.

The ATF’s forensic examination of the recovered firearms revealed two particularly dangerous modifications. One was a 20-gauge, double-barrel shotgun with both barrels sawed off, transforming it into a short-barrel weapon. The other was a .22 caliber rifle, stripped of its stock to create a “pistol grip” handle. Adding insult to injury, investigators quickly determined Rhodes was already a convicted felon, making any possession of firearms or ammunition illegal. He was playing with fire on multiple levels.

Stacey Bond already took a plea deal on January 30, 2019, admitting guilt to using a communications facility to aid and abet a felony under the Controlled Substances Act. Bond is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Guirola on July 30, 2019, and faces a maximum of four years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. This case serves as a stark reminder that those who mix drugs and firearms will face the full weight of the law.

The investigation was a collaborative effort, involving the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Stone County Sheriff’s Office, the Wiggins Police Department, and the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stan Harris and Annette Williams prosecuted the case, bringing Rhodes’s criminal enterprise to a definitive end. The Grimy Times will continue to monitor Bond’s sentencing and any further developments in this case.

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