A Long Beach man will spend the next two decades in prison after an undercover drug bust found he was purposely selling fentanyl.
Robert French, 43, was sentenced by Circuit Court Judge Larry Bourgeois to 40 years, 20 of which were suspended, in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections. French’s stint in prison will be followed by five years of supervision.
The investigation into French began in March 2024 when the Gulfport Police Department received information that he was selling fentanyl. Working in an undercover capacity, a narcotics detective contacted French who agreed to sell him the illicit drug at a local Home Depot.
“Upon [investigators’] arrival at the Home Depot, the undercover officer got into French’s car, where French showed the detective over 50 grams of fentanyl concealed inside a paint can,” Assistant District Attorney Dustin Uselton said. “French was then taken into custody. Detectives searched French’s vehicle and located two other bags of fentanyl, which were concealed in false bottoms of a WD40 can and a Flat Fix can. Detectives located over 80 grams of fentanyl.”
During the sentencing hearing, Bourgeois told French he had committed an “egregious felony” and said he put “countless” people’s lives in jeopardy by distributing “poison” throughout the community.
The first 10 years of French’s sentence will be served without the possibility of parole or early release.
