Louisiana Man Pleads Guilty to Gun Charges and Drug Trafficking Involving Crack, Faces Up to Life in Prison

Louisiana – On November 10, 2022, U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that Eric Metz, age 39, a resident of Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, pled guilty on November 1, 2022, before U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine, crack cocaine, and methamphetamine in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C), and 846, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i).

A DEA investigation indicated Metz was involved in a large drugs distribution conspiracy in Plaquemines Parish, according to court filings. Plaquemines Parish Sheriff's Office deputies performed a traffic stop in Belle Chasse, Louisiana, on June 5, 2021, on a vehicle driven by Metz. Deputies established probable cause to search the vehicle during the traffic stop. They uncovered six clear plastic bags carrying crack cocaine, a fully loaded FN, nine-millimeter, semi-automatic handgun, and $3,238.00 in US currency during the search.

Metz faces up to twenty years in prison, a $1,000,000.00 fine, at least three years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee for the drug conspiracy allegation. Metz faces a minimum of five years in prison, up to life in prison, to run consecutively with any other sentence, a fine of up to $250,000, up to five years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that brings all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve together to minimize violent crime and gun violence and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy to strengthen PSN on May 26, 2021, based on the following core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Plaquemines Parish Sheriff's Office investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney J. Benjamin Myers is in charge of the prosecution.