Philadelphia, Mississippi man Darrell McBeath is staring down the barrel of a 130-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to charges of intending to distribute a hefty stash of methamphetamine, as reported Monday by the United States Attorney’s Office. McBeath, who faced the music on May 3, 2024, was slapped with the sentence in U.S. District Court.

The 39-year-old got snagged in a drug enforcement net last year when a federal grand jury indicted him in September of 2023. McBeath didn't drag out the legal fight for long, opting to plead guilty on December 14 of that same year to the charge. His nearly 11-year sentence is the fallout from a case that shines a spotlight on the drug woes grappling the Pearl River Community near the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.

Authorities, including those from the Choctaw Police Department of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, the U.S. Department of Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs, and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, collaborated in the investigation that landed McBeath behind bars. An announcement of McBeath's sentencing was jointly made by U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee, Regional Agent in Charge Whitney Woodruff of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Anessa Daniels-McCaw of the Drug Enforcement Administration, according to the Justice Department.

Assistant United States Attorney Kevin J. Payne and Special Assistant United States Attorney Brian K. Burns stacked the prosecution's deck, successfully corralling McBeath's future within the confines of a prison cell. His sentence serves not only as penitence but as a clear statement to others in the crosshairs of a persistent battle against illegal substance distribution, particularly in regions safeguarded by the indigenous governance of Native American tribes.