Philadelphia man sentenced to federal prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine

Published 12:45 pm Wednesday, March 6, 2019

A Philadelphia man charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine is headed to federal prison.

Lorenzo Dyrell Hickman, 32, was sentenced on Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate to 270 months in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Jere T. Miles, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans.

Hickman was charged in a single count indictment on May 2, 2018, and pled guilty on Nov. 2, 2018, to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, according to a news release.

Hickman was responsible for the distribution of kilograms of methamphetamine in the Philadelphia area. He also was convicted in Georgia of possessing a kilogram of cocaine that was destined for distribution in Mississippi.

This case is the result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation, dubbed Operation Highlife, which began as an operation targeting illegal narcotics distribution in east central Mississippi area that involved the distribution of methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana. The distribution network encompasses the states of California, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi, according to the news release. 

The case is a result of a joint investigation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics. Assisting agencies include the Philadelphia Police Department, Neshoba County Sheriff’s Department, Neshoba County District Attorney’s Office, Scott County Sheriff’s Office, Flowood Police Department, Rankin County Sheriff’s Department, Hinds County Sheriff’s Department, Carthage Police Department, Union Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Louisville Police Department, Mississippi Highway Patrol and the United States Marshal Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Chalk is prosecuting the case.