A Covington, La., man pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute approximately 1,000 pills laced with fentanyl.

Santana Phillipe Elzy, 23, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Gulfport.

According to court documents, on August 29, 2023, the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration followed up on a written complaint alleging drug trafficking at the Motel 6 in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.  Agents surveyed the motel and were able to narrow down the suspected parties and rooms.  During surveillance, agents observed a red Toyota Camry arrive at the Motel 6 to pick up two of the individuals suspected of selling drugs.  Once the vehicle departed, agents followed the vehicle across state lines and observed the occupants of the vehicle, who were identified as Christopher Fricke, Kolby Sims, Emma Stoute, and Dakari Sykes, participate in what appeared to be a drug transaction with an individual, later identified as Santana Elzy, at a Wal-Mart parking lot in Louisiana.  After the transaction, agents followed the Camry back into Mississippi and conducted a traffic stop where they recovered approximately 1,000 fentanyl laced pills and it was confirmed that Elzy had sold the group the pills for distribution in the Southern District of Mississippi.

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.

Elzy plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 25, 2024.  He faces a maximum penalty of  twenty years in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Christopher Fricke and Emma Stoute have pled guilty and will be sentenced later this year.  The cases against Dakari Sykes and Kolby Sims remain pending.

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

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Erica Rose is prosecuting the case.