Gulfport Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute over 80 Grams of Fentanyl

Gulfport, Miss. - A Gulfport man was sentenced to 60 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute 81.1 grams of fentanyl.

Ashton Craig Cuevas, 19, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Gulfport.

According to court documents, on April 21, 2023, the Harrison County Sheriff's Office conducted a search warrant on the residence of Ashton Craig Cuevas, 19, in Gulfport. The search took place the day after Harrison County conducted a controlled purchase of fentanyl pills from Cuevas. The search of Cuevas's home yielded 81.1 grams of fentanyl, as well as the pre-recorded buy money from the controlled purchase on April 20^th.

According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, fentanyl is approximately 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin. The DEA reports that two milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal, and one kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill 500,000 people. More facts on fentanyl can be found at https://www.dea.gov/resources/facts-about-fentanyl and https://www.dea.gov/resources/facts-about-fentanyl.

Cuevas pled guilty on August 22, 2023, to possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Steven Hofer of the Drug Enforcement Administration made the announcement.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Harrison County Sheriff's Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Erica Rose prosecuted the case.