An Abbeville businessman has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, convicted of conspiring to distribute fentanyl.
Gabriel Hawthorne, 41, was sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release, said U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown.
Hawthorne was convicted by a jury in November on one count conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, and one count possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, including fentanyl.
Evidence presented at the trial accused Hawthorne of conspiring with Frederick Malaki Thornton and another co-defendant, Andrea Mitchell, to distribute fentanyl in the Abbeville area.
In March 2022, an individual exchanged a series of phone calls and text messages with Mitchell, and she agreed to sell heroin to that individual. She arranged the distribution of the heroin by communicating with Thornton, who was her boyfriend at the time, and Hawthorne, who was her supplier. Hawthorne owned a business, ZZ’s Kitchen, in Abbeville and would use that business to store the narcotics that he, Mitchell and Thornton made arrangements to sell. Mitchell also admitted that Hawthorne would mix the fentanyl before giving it to her to sell.
The suspected heroin which was sold by Mitchell and Thornton were seized and sent to the DEA Laboratory for testing and resulted a positive test for fentanyl.
Thornton and Mitchell both pleaded guilty and will be sentenced at a later date.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John W. Nickel.
