70-year-old Lumberton man sentenced to 17 years in federal prison on drug charges

Warren Lewis
Warren Lewis
Warren Lewis

HATTIESBURG, Mississippi (AP) — A 70-year-old Lumberton man has been sentenced in federal court on drug charges.

The Hattiesburg American reports Warren Lewis was sentenced Tuesday to nearly 17 years in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Keith Starrett.

Starrett also put Lewis on three years of supervised release.

Lewis had pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute earlier this year

“The significant drug dealing this man was apparently doing and visiting this problem on hundreds of others is a very serious offense,” Starrett said. “That’s the basis for the court’s sentence.”

Lewis owned more than 400 acres in Lamar County. He was among a half dozen people arrested in November following an investigation by the sheriff’s drug unit.

An initial search of three residences on the property resulted in Lewis’ arrest on an initial charge of possession of a controlled substance while in possession of a firearm.

Five days later, deputies returned with additional warrants, and during the search, found a 5½-pound brick of methamphetamine sealed in an ammunition can that was hidden in a brush pile behind Lewis’ residence.

As a result of the various searches, authorities confiscated about 50 firearms, a dozen vehicles including two bulldozers and about $100,000 in cash.