9 Louisiana Men Charged with Firearm and Drug Trafficking Involving Large Amounts of Methamphetamine

On June 2, 2022, United States Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. announced that an investigation into a drug trafficking organization based in Ascension Parish had resulted in a federal grand jury superseding indictment, which led to the arrest of nine Louisiana men on various firearm and drug trafficking charges.

According to the indictment, the defendants were involved in a large drug trafficking operation in which they distributed large amounts of methamphetamine in the Middle District of Louisiana. During the investigation, agents seized over nine kilograms (over 20 pounds) of methamphetamine and several firearms.

The following people were charged and arrested as part of this initiative:

Reshide Wooden, age 25, of Donaldsonville, Louisiana, for conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Rokedrick Tyrell Williby, age 31, of Donaldsonville, Louisiana, for conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.

Denzel Dionte Gray, age 29, of Donaldsonville, Louisiana, for conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Malcolm Oliver, Jr., age 32, of Napoleonville, Louisiana, for conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.

Kelly Derrell Jones, age 40, of Gonzales, Louisiana, for conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

David Burnell Lewis, age 37, of Gonzales, Louisiana, for conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.

Christopher Dee Harrod, age 41, of Prairieville, Louisiana, for conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Blain Joseph Slayton, age 29, of Gonzales, Louisiana, for conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Robert Jason Slayton, age 51, of Plaquemine, Louisiana, for conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and task force officers from the Iberville Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Baton Rouge Police Department led the investigation, with critical assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Internal Revenue Service, the United States Marshals Service, the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, the Gonzales Police Department, the West Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, and the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica Jarreau, who also serves as Deputy Chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s newly formed Organized and Violent Crime Unit.

The investigation is part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Program, which was established in 1982 to wage a comprehensive war on organized drug traffickers. Today, the OCDETF Program is the centerpiece of the United States Attorney General’s drug strategy to reduce drug availability by disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking, money laundering, and related criminal enterprises. The OCDETF Program is a nationwide operation that brings together the resources and unique expertise of numerous federal, state, and local agencies in a coordinated attack on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations.

An indictment is an accusation by a grand jury. The defendants are presumed innocent until and unless adjudicated guilty at trial or through a guilty plea.

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