A Meridian, Mississippi man has been sentenced to 500 months in prison, with an additional five years of supervised release, for his involvement in a drug trafficking conspiracy. Samuel Ykem Boler, aged 33, was found guilty of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. The announcement was made by Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Lemon, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations Assistant Special Agent in Charge Matt Reidell, and Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics Director Phillip Pope.
Court documents reveal that from June 2016 through May 2018, Boler collaborated with others to distribute large quantities of methamphetamine from California and Tennessee into central Mississippi. This case is part of an extensive investigation known as “Operation Highlife,” which focused on curbing illegal methamphetamine distribution in the region.
The investigation was conducted by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics.
This case falls under Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration and dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs). The operation leverages resources from the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN) to protect communities from violent crime.
Criminal Chief Erin Chalk is prosecuting the case.