Published March 09, 2022

Louisiana Man Pleads Guilty in a 2021 Drug Case, Faces up to 40 Years in Prison

Louisiana – James Watts, 50, of Amite, Louisiana, pled guilty March 8, 2022, before U.S. District Judge Mary Ann Vial Lemmon to a one-count superseding bill of information charging him with possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine, according to U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.

According to court documents, Tangipahoa Sheriff’s Office deputies initiated a traffic stop on Watts on March 8, 2021, in Independence, Louisiana, after receiving a report that Watts had assaulted a female victim. Deputies stopped Watts after noticing drug paraphernalia in the rear passenger seat. Following a search of the vehicle, 397 grams of methamphetamine were discovered.

During a subsequent interview with US Drug Enforcement Administration agents, Watts admitted that the methamphetamine discovered during the vehicle search was his. He also admitted to selling one pound of methamphetamine between March 6th and March 8th, 2021, and obtaining two pounds of methamphetamine from his source of supply every two weeks.

Watts faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years, a maximum sentence of forty years in prison, a fine of up to $5,000,000, at least four years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.

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

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