A man from Dayton, Ohio has been sentenced to eight years behind bars for possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute while he lived in Oxford in 2021.
According to court records, 35-year-old Justin Elkins was arrested and charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute after law enforcement intercepted a package sent through the mail that contained fentanyl in April of 2021. He previously pled guilty to the charge and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock to 96 months on Friday, which is to be followed by three years of supervised release.
“The U.S. mail should never be used as a vehicle for distributing illicit drugs,” U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner said in a statement. “We will do everything in our power to see that people who choose to illegally distribute dangerous drugs like fentanyl into our communities are held accountable.”
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Oxford Police Department, and Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office’s Metro Narcotics Unit investigated the case, while Assistant United States Attorney Paul Roberts prosecuted the case.
“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is committed to ensuring the U.S. Mails are not used as a tool to distribute deadly fentanyl to our communities,” Scott Fix, U.S. Postal Inspector in Charge of the Houston Division, added. “The sentence handed down today should serve as a reminder to other perpetrators that we remain steadfast with our law enforcement partners to bring those who engage in this activity to justice.”
According to the Mississippi State Department of Health, drug overdoses have skyrocketed since 2019 in the Magnolia State, including a 51% increase from 2020-2021.
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