TWO MEN pleaded guilty Tuesday in DeSoto County Circuit Court in Hernando in a fentanyl trafficking case tied to what prosecutors called the largest fentanyl seizure in Southaven history, the DeSoto County District Attorney’s Office announced.
Prosecutors said officers recovered 4,387 lethal dosage units of fentanyl during a late 2022 operation by the Southaven Police Department at the Homewood Suites on Airways Boulevard. Authorities said the fentanyl had been pressed to resemble oxycodone pills and carried “M 30” imprints, making the pills appear nearly identical to legitimate prescription medication.
Richard Vaught was sentenced to 15 years day-for-day in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, followed by 10 years of post-release supervision, the DA’s office said. Michael Walker also pleaded guilty and will be sentenced at a later date, prosecutors said.
Assistant District Attorney Gordon Shaw, who prosecuted the case, said fentanyl poses an extreme danger to the public. “Fentanyl has been designated as a weapon of mass destruction for a reason,” Shaw said. Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid linked to rising overdose deaths in the United States. We will provide more information as it becomes available.
