Shawn Wayne Ethridge, 38, of Jackson County, is headed to federal prison for a decade after being caught selling methamphetamine along with a sawed-off shotgun—crossing the brutal line between drug dealing and armed trafficking. The 120-month sentence lands like a hammer in a region tired of gun-fueled narcotics trade.
Ethridge was sentenced last week in Gulfport, Mississippi, after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, a charge that carries a mandatory minimum of five years and often signals prosecutors’ intent to crush dual-threat offenders. U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca made the announcement with no fanfare—just facts and finality.
Court records show the crime unfolded on November 18, 2020, when Ethridge sold meth to an individual who wasn’t just buying drugs—he was working with law enforcement. Tucked into the deal: a short-barreled shotgun, illegally modified, deadly, and now central to the federal conviction. The weapon, a symbol of escalating violence in local drug circles, sealed Ethridge’s fate.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) led the investigation alongside the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, combing through evidence and confirming the firearm’s role in the narcotics transaction. Authorities stressed that deals involving homemade or altered weapons feed a cycle of street violence that devastates communities.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Buckner prosecuted the case, pushing for the full 10-year term under federal sentencing guidelines. There was no plea for leniency—just the weight of a loaded gun traded with poison. Ethridge now begins his time in federal custody with no early release option for the firearm count.
This conviction sends a message: in Mississippi’s ongoing war against drug-related gun violence, federal prosecutors are stacking charges and maxing out sentences. For Shawn Wayne Ethridge, the cost of one deal was a decade behind bars.
RELATED: Shawn Wayne Ethridge Gets 10 Years for Gun-Drug Deal
Related Federal Cases
- Shawn Wayne Ethridge Gets 10 Years for Gun-Drug Deal · Mississippi
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- Jackson Man Gets 10 Years for Gun, Drug Sales · Mississippi
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- Jackson Felon Lewis Gets 30 Months for Gun Possession · Mississippi
Key Facts
- State: Mississippi
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
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