Illegal Drug & Gun Sales Earn Selmer Man 17+ Years in Federal Prison

Case Involved Undercover Purchase of 13 Firearms and Crack Cocaine JACKSON, Tenn. Djuan Spud Jones, 27, of Selmer, Tenn. was sentenced today to 210 months in federal prison for firearms and narcotics violations. Jones pled guilty Aug. 23 to violating Title 21 of the U.S. Code, Section 841(a)(1) -- distribution of crack cocaine -- and Title 18 of the U.S. Code, Section 922(g)(1) -- being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. Under federal law, convicted felons are prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition. In 1998, Jones pled guilty to delivery of cocaine and received a three-year prison sentence in the Tennessee Department of Corrections. U.S. District Court Judge James D. Todd for the Western Judicial District of Tennessee also placed Jones on five years of supervised release following his prison term. There is no parole in the federal prison system. Special Agent in Charge James M. Cavanaugh of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Nashville Field Division; Acting U.S. Attorney Larry Laurenzi for the Western Judicial District of Tennessee; Chief Rick Staples of the Jackson Police Department; Chief Neal Burks of the Selmer Police Department; Sheriff Delphus Hicks of the Hardeman County Sheriffs Department; Special Agent in Charge Rodney Weaver of the 25th Judicial District Drug Task Force and Special Agent in Charge Roger Hughes of the West Tennessee Field Unit for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced the Jones sentencing. According to facts of the case, beginning in March 2004 until July of 2004, undercover law enforcement and a confidential informant met with Jones on seven different occasions to buy guns and crack cocaine. Overall, undercover operations resulted in the successful purchase of 13 firearms, including handguns, rifles, assault weapons and more than 130 grams of crack cocaine. This case combined law enforcement resources to rid the Selmer community of a serious offender. Jones illegal drug and gun market is going to be out of business for quite some time. People like Jones who tote guns and drugs will not be tolerated. The hard work of this investigation clearly prevented guns and drugs from reaching the hands of other violent criminals and drug addicts, said Cavanaugh. The successful resolution of the case is the result of investigative efforts of ATF, the Jackson Police Department Gang Unit, the West Tennessee 25th Judicial Drug Task Force, the Hardeman County Sheriff's Office, the Selmer Police Department and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation- Drug Investigation Division. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jerry Kitchen.