A Mississippi man with a lengthy rap sheet will spend two decades behind bars for drug trafficking.
Latarke Maurice Sims, 44, pled guilty to trafficking meth in the Magnolia State. On July 25, 2023, and again on January 10, 2025, Sims was found in possession of trafficking amounts of methamphetamine in Rankin County. During both incidents, he was also in possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.
In the July 2023 offense, officers recovered a .45 caliber pistol in Sims’ possession, despite his status as a previously convicted felon prohibited from owning firearms. Additionally, during the January 2025 encounter, Sims attempted to flee law enforcement, resulting in a high-speed pursuit that is reported by law enforcement to have endangered public safety and demonstrated extreme disregard for human life.
Sims had been previously convicted of armed robbery, kidnapping, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in 2006, along with a prior conviction for sale of cocaine in 1998. Based on these offenses, Sims was indicted under Mississippi’s violent habitual offender statute.
“Mr. Sims has demonstrated a long-term pattern of violent and drug-related crimes, and his repeated offenses show a complete disregard for the law and the safety of our communities,” Madison and Rankin Counties District Attorney Bubba Bramlett said. “Thanks to the outstanding work of the Pelahatchie Police Department and our prosecution team, Sims is behind bars and no longer trafficking poison in and through our county.”
Per his latest sentencing, Sims is ordered to serve all 20 years, day for day, without the possibility of parole or early release.
