Louisiana Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 15+ Years After Authorities Intercept Phone Calls and Text Messages Revealing Illicit Activities
Louisiana Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 15+ Years After Authorities Intercept Phone Calls and Text Messages Revealing Illicit Activities
Shreveport, Louisiana. – On September 1, 2022, United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that Michael C. Francis, 37, of Bossier City, Louisiana, has been sentenced in United States District Court. Chief United States District Judge S. Maurice Hicks, Jr. sentenced Francis to 188 months (15 years, 8 months) in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, on drug trafficking charges.
From March 2019 until December 31, 2019, Francis and eight other defendants were involved in a narcotics trafficking conspiracy and pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing methamphetamine in Caddo and Bossier Parish in Louisiana. Officers initiated an investigation into their illicit drug trafficking activities and were able to get a court-ordered wiretap on one of his co-defendants’ cell phones, Demetrius Deangelo Hall. Agents discovered Hall was interacting with Francis and others through many intercepted chats. Several times, Hall and Francis discussed giving each other with varying amounts of methamphetamine.
During the investigation, law enforcement investigators intercepted phone calls and text messages between Hall and his co-conspirators on October 21, 2019, showing that Hall was planning to go to Texas to buy additional methamphetamine from co-defendant Steve Mireles. During these intercepted discussions, Francis was heard discussing the cost of methamphetamine for his portion, as well as the courier fee. Francis pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute at least 50 grams of methamphetamine on February 22, 2021.
The DEA, ATF, Shreveport Police Department, Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office, Greenwood Police Department, and Louisiana State Police all investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Tennille Gilreath and Allison Duncan prosecuted the case. This operation is part of the ongoing Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach to identify, disrupt, and destroy the highest-level criminal organizations that pose a threat to the United States. More information about the OCDETF Program is available at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
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