Man faces prison on gun, drug charges

A Cape Girardeau man pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court to gun and drug charges.

Mark Mosley, 24, will be sentenced Dec. 6 on a felony count of being a previously convicted felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and a felony count of distribution of marijuana. He also forfeited $31,400 in cash.

Mosley faces a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the gun charge, and 10 years in prison and a $500,000 fine on the drug charge.

On Nov. 19, 2003, Mosley was stopped for a traffic offense in Cape Girardeau. During a search, officers discovered $500 cash in his shirt pocket and a small amount of marijuana in the van. Police also seized a safe from the back of the van which contained $30,900 in cash.

During the investigation, Mosley admitted to officers that he had been selling marijuana in the area. He admitted that he had bought and sold approximately 80 pounds of marijuana over the past two years and that a third of the cash found in the safe was proceeds from the marijuana sales. He also told police who he had been buying the drug from.

Mosley had previously been convicted of possession and distribution of a controlled substance. When he was arrested, a loaded Browning .380-caliber semiautomatic pistol was in the safe.