United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced that Reginald T. Warren, 37, of Natchitoches, Louisiana, was sentenced Tuesday to 300 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell for possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug- trafficking crime. He was also sentenced to five years of supervised release.
According to the guilty plea, law enforcement agents with the Natchitoches Multi- Jurisdictional Drug Task Force executed a search warrant on March 7, 2018, for Reginald Warren’s residence in Natchitoches. Agents found a total of more than 4 pounds of methamphetamine in the residence. They also found a loaded Charter Arms .38-caliber revolver in close proximity to 1 pound of the methamphetamine. Warren admitted to possessing the illegal drugs and firearm at a March 21, 2019 guilty plea hearing.
Warren’s co-defendant Temisan Smith, 32, of Pasadena, Texas, pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute ecstasy on December 13, 2018. According to her guilty plea, she was transporting illegal drugs at Warren’s direction that same day from the Houston area to Natchitoches Parish when law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on her vehicle. Agents found a shoebox in the trunk containing approximately 16,000 ecstasy pills and a pint of suspected promethazine syrup.
“Illegal drugs are wreaking havoc on our communities and prosecuting those responsible for selling this poison is a priority of our office,” Joseph stated. “This defendant will be spending 25 years in prison for his crimes. I want to thank the Natchitoches Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Task Force and the Natchitoches Parish District Attorney’s Office for their hard work and collaboration with federal law enforcement and my office in this case.”
“Methamphetamine brings turmoil into the lives of those who are addicted to or live around it,” DEA Special Agent in Charge Brad L. Byerley said. “DEA, together with our law enforcement partners, will continue to attack the scourge of methamphetamine distribution in the Western District of Louisiana and beyond. The lengthy sentencing of this individual should be a warning to those who want to sell drugs. We are going to catch you and put you in prison for a long time if you distribute this poison in our communities. ”
“I thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their diligent efforts in this case and for their ongoing partnership with us in investigating and prosecuting illegal narcotics cases in Natchitoches Parish,” said Natchitoches Parish District Attorney Billy Joe Harrington. “I also thank the Natchitoches Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Task Force for their continued relentless work in identifying and arresting narcotics traffickers and, in effect, curbing the flow illegal narcotics in our parish.”
Smith was sentenced to 27 months in prison and three years of supervised release on April 15, 2019.
The DEA, Natchitoches Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Task Force and Liberty County Sheriff’s Office in Texas conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian C. Flanagan prosecuted the case.
Our state has just legalized cannabinoids. The next thing you know, marijuana will be, too. If that happens, how long before meth is legalized?
Oh, you say, but look at all the other states that have legalized it and are now reaping the profits from taxing it. And the government will be able to regulate it. What is there to worry about?
The prescription drug industry is the most regulated industry in our country. How’s that working out for us?
not its not or it wouldn’t be so easy to get .What’s up Jade ?
It’s the old story of getting a foot in the door and follow the money. I suspect it would be very surprising to learn who is getting rich by supporting such. Leading citizens and politicians come to mind.
Comparing meth and pot is like comparing apples and airplanes. Meth is an incredibly dangerous drug. Pot is not. Alcohol is way more dangerous than pot, yet we promote it everywhere in society. We are missing out on a massive economic windfall. Why spend millions upon millions fighting something when you could make millions off of it? It makes no sense.
I’ll agree that meth is more dangerous. Therein lies a lot of the problem. People have begun believing pot is harmless because they compare it to stronger drugs like meth or crack. But pot isn’t harmless. Using it and getting behind the wheel is just as dangerous as driving drunk. Would you want nurses and doctors in the hospital to take care of you after smoking a joint? What about a teacher or a coach? Or the guy who installed the elevator you’re on? Or building the bridge you’re about to drive over?
What’s even scarier? Dealers are lacing marijuana with other drugs and buyers don’t know about it. Mixing heroin in your product ensures repeat customers. Users think they’re just getting some really great weed and don’t see that they’re becoming addicted. The most dangerous drug being added to marijuana is Fentanyl. It’s 80 to 100 times stronger than morphine. Google it and find out how dangerous it is.
And this ain’t the grass we had when we were kids. Growers are creating hybrids that are far more potent. It’s become an industry. You can actually invest in some of the companies growing it in states where it’s legal. Remember how tobacco companies used to add nicotine to their cigarettes to make them more addictive? What makes you think marijuana companies won’t do the same?
Find some folks who regularly smoke pot and hang around with them. Then tell me it’s not a problem and everyone should be able to get it.
a lot of drugs off the street,thank you to the drug task force,police and all
that prosecuted this case.It is always good to get drug dealers and drugs off our streets.
Stewart Wright !!