Columbia Man Sentenced Five Years Federal Prison Gun Drug Crime

Jackie Jermaine Watson, a 30-year-old Columbia man, was sentenced to five years in federal prison for possessing a firearm during and in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, a sentence to be served consecutively with his ongoing state prison term for violating probation. The charges arose from an April 2024 incident when police responded to a stolen moped report, leading to a search of Watson's motel room where they found a .40 caliber pistol, crack cocaine, marijuana, and the moped key. Watson has prior convictions including assault and battery, possession of a stolen firearm, and burglary, and was on probation at the time of the offense. He participated in Columbia’s Project Ceasefire program designed to reduce gun violence by providing social services and warning probationers of swift prosecution for new crimes. Upon release, Watson will serve three years of court-ordered supervision, as there is no parole in the federal system. The case was prosecuted under Project Safe Neighborhoods, a federal initiative aiming to reduce violent crime and gun violence nationwide.