GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - A former black spring break promoter has been sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison for plotting to bring cocaine from Texas to Mississippi.

A federal judge in Gulfport, Mississippi, sentenced 46-year-old Keith Lavell Brown of Moss Point on Wednesday to 19 years and 7 months, and a $35,000 fine. Prosecutors said in a news release that Judge Louis Guirola Jr. held Brown responsible for 49 kilograms (108 pounds) of the drug.

Brown pleaded guilty in August to conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute.

Prosecutors say the investigation began when Louisiana State Police found 15 kilograms (33 pounds) of cocaine in a vehicle driven by Brown's cousin in 2016.

The Sun Herald of Biloxi reported in April that Brown promoted Biloxi's Black Beach Weekend from 2009 until 2014.

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