Louisiana Man Sentenced to Prison for Possession with the Intent to Distribute Almost 5 Pounds of Methamphetamine and Fentanyl

Louisiana – On August 19, 2022, United States Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. announced that U.S. Chief Judge Shelly D. Dick sentenced Christopher John Scieneaux, age 39, of Donaldsonville, Louisiana, to 140 months (11 years, 8 months) in federal prison following his conviction of possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl. The Court further sentenced Scieneaux to 5 years of supervised release following his term of imprisonment.

According to confessions made as part of his guilty plea, the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office, Gonzales Police Department, and DEA used a confidential informant to perform three controlled buys of heroin and fentanyl from Scieneaux between November 22, 2019, and January 23, 2020. During the purchases, law enforcement noticed Scieneaux driving one of two automobiles registered to his girlfriend. Officers performed surveillance at Scieneaux’s girlfriend’s home and confirmed Scieneaux came and went in both vehicles throughout the day.

On March 13, 2020, officers conducted a traffic stop after Scieneaux exited said residence, during which time a minor amount of narcotics was discovered in the vehicle, and officers acquired and executed a search warrant at the residence. Officers were able to enter the residence using a key found in Scieneaux’s vehicle.

Officers discovered roughly 1300 grams of pure methamphetamine, 903 grams of fentanyl, and two scales (one with white residue) inside the master bedroom closet during the search. Scieneaux’s Louisiana ID was discovered on top of the master bedroom dresser. Officers discovered rolling papers, a marijuana grinder with residue, and four more picture identifications belonging to Scieneaux inside the dresser. $3,340 in narcotics-related denominations was discovered under the mattress in the master bedroom.

The inquiry is part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Program, which was founded in 1982 to launch a comprehensive counter-narcotics campaign. Today, the OCDETF Program is the core of the United States Attorney General’s drug strategy to limit drug availability by disrupting and destroying significant drug trafficking, money laundering, and related criminal businesses. The OCDETF Program is a nationwide operation that brings together the resources and specialized experience of several federal, state, and local authorities in a coordinated attack on large drug trafficking and money laundering enterprises.

The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case, with critical assistance from the Internal Revenue Service, Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office, and Gonzales Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica Jarreau, who also serves as Deputy Criminal Chief of the United States Attorney’s Office’s Organized and Violent Crime Unit.