14 Arrested in North Mississippi Drug and Gun Bust Led by Homeland Security Task Force

Fourteen people are facing federal drug distribution and firearms charges following a Homeland Security Task Force investigation targeting drug trafficking organizations operating in North Mississippi, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced at a press conference Wednesday in Oxford.

The arrests stem from three separate operations: ongoing investigations into two drug trafficking organizations operating in North Mississippi, and an investigation into the importation and distribution of Glock-type conversion devices — components that can convert a semi-automatic pistol into a machine gun.

The coordinated enforcement actions took place in late September and are described as a spin-off from an earlier investigation that ran from November through February. Officials say the investigation is not over and is now expanding across northern Mississippi.

Several of those arrested are from Tupelo, just south of Tippah County, underscoring how the trafficking networks under investigation reach across the region.

Those arrested and the charges they face:

• Joshua Alexander, 30, of Greenville — charged with drug distribution
• Craig Baker, 60, of Tupelo — charged with drug distribution
• Trevion Bernard, 20, of Leland — charged with possession of a machine gun
• Jackie Brunson, 54, of Tupelo — charged with drug distribution
• Kabriyen Clark, 23, of Tupelo — charged with illegal possession of a machine gun
• Lucas Davis, 43, of Greenville — charged with drug distribution
• Otheno English, 42, of Tupelo — charged with drug distribution
• George Jefferson, 43, of Greenville — charged with drug distribution
• Raymond Long, 52, of Tupelo — charged with drug distribution
• Floyd Milton, 41, of Greenville — charged with drug distribution
• La’Jayvion Moy, 21, of Greenville — charged with carjacking and felon in possession of a firearm
• Rana Owens, 44, of Tupelo — charged with drug distribution
• Marquez Palmer, 38, of Greenville — charged with drug distribution
• Dajuante Rancifer, 34, of Greenville — charged with drug distribution

If convicted, a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

In addition to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Marshals Service, Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, North Mississippi Narcotics Unit, Greenville Police Department, and Tupelo Police Department assisted in the investigations and arrests.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chad Doleac, John Herzog, Clyde McGee, Sam Stringfellow, and Feleica Wilson are prosecuting the cases.

The arrests are part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159, a whole-of-government partnership aimed at dismantling criminal cartels, foreign gangs, and transnational criminal organizations operating in the United States. HSTF Jackson draws agents and officers from the FBI, HSI, DEA, ICE, Customs and Border Protection, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with prosecutions led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Mississippi.