20 Defendants Sentenced In Louisiana Marijuana Trafficking Conspiracy

Shreveport, Louisiana – A long-running marijuana trafficking conspiracy centered in the Shreveport and Bossier City area has ended with the conviction and sentencing of 20 defendants to more than 87 years in combined federal prison time, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana.

The case began as an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation and targeted a network that moved thousands of pounds of marijuana and laundered millions of dollars over more than a decade.

“Organized drug trafficking is a menace to our communities, promoting lawlessness, violence, and addiction,” U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller said in announcing the sentences. He credited a coordinated effort by federal, state, and local agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Shreveport Police Department.

Multi-State Marijuana Supply Chain

According to court documents and testimony, 35-year-old Hikmat Jamal “Hek” or “Hector” Deeb of Bossier City played a central role in the scheme. From at least 2012 until his arrest in September 2023, Deeb worked with others, including Brieon O’Neal and Andrew Brown, to obtain and distribute marijuana in the Western District of Louisiana and beyond.

In the early years of the conspiracy, members of the group traveled to the West Coast to secure marijuana. Law enforcement later found them carrying large sums of cash at airports in Dallas, Los Angeles, and Seattle. Deeb admitted that the cash was for purchasing large quantities of marijuana.

By 2021, the supply chain shifted to Oklahoma. Deeb began obtaining marijuana from sources there, including his brother, 39-year-old Rshad “Ray” Deeb, and two Chinese nationals, Hui He and Yichen He. Prosecutors said Hui He owned two properties in Oklahoma that were used for illegal marijuana cultivation and distribution and was connected to a larger distribution organization.

After purchasing the marijuana, Deeb’s network used couriers and salespeople to move the drugs into northwest Louisiana and other areas. The marijuana was stored in apartment buildings, homes, and an abandoned car lot in Shreveport before being distributed.

Money Laundering Through Retail Business

Federal prosecutors also detailed how the organization tried to hide the proceeds of the drug trafficking.

Deeb’s wife, 37-year-old Jerusalia S. Bell of Bossier City, laundered a significant portion of the illegal profits through a retail clothing line. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Deeb gave Bell cash from drug sales, which she deposited into her business bank account as if it were legitimate revenue.

Between 2020 and 2022 alone, Bell’s business generated nearly $1 million in unreported income, which authorities identified as proceeds from the marijuana trafficking and laundering activity during that period.

Key Sentences In The Case

Several defendants received substantial prison terms, including Deeb, Bell, and Hui He. Most pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges involving the distribution or possession with intent to distribute marijuana, while some also faced money laundering, firearms, or fraud counts.

Below is a summary of the defendants, their convictions, and sentences, as provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office:

• Hikmat Jamal Deeb (“Hek,” “Hector”), 35, Bossier City, Louisiana
  – Pleaded guilty to laundering of monetary instruments
  – Sentenced to 224 months (18 years, 8 months) in prison
  – 3 years of supervised release
• Hui He (“Kevin”), 42, Norman, Oklahoma
  – Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana
  – Sentenced to 100 months in prison
  – 4 years of supervised release
• Jerusalia S. Bell, 37, Bossier City, Louisiana
  – Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana
  – Sentenced to 97 months in prison
  – 3 years of supervised release
• Rshad “Ray” Deeb, 39, Bossier City, Louisiana
  – Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana
  – Sentenced to 108 months (9 years) in prison
  – 5 years of supervised release
• Brieon O’Neal, 37, Bossier City, Louisiana
  – Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana
  – Sentenced to 72 months (6 years) in prison
  – 4 years of supervised release
• Trevor J. Osifo, 30, Aubrey, Texas
  – Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana
  – Sentenced to 72 months in prison
  – 5 years of supervised release
• Damarquez “Quez” Mitchell, 33, Shreveport, Louisiana
  – Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime
  – Sentenced to 84 months (7 years) in prison
  – 5 years of supervised release
• Andrew O. Brown, 31, Shreveport, Louisiana
  – Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana and wire fraud
  – Sentenced to 63 months in prison
  – 4 years of supervised release
  – Ordered to pay $22,000 in restitution
• Modh Fawzi “Moody” Tbaileh, 35, Shreveport, Louisiana
  – Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana
  – Sentenced to 60 months in prison
  – 4 years of supervised release
• Yichen He (“Brian,” “Lin Lin”), 31, Newcastle, Oklahoma
  – Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana
  – Sentenced to 60 months in prison
  – 4 years of supervised release
• James Troy Phillips, 37, Shreveport, Louisiana
  – Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana
  – Sentenced to 60 months in prison
  – 5 years of supervised release
• Jimmy Lee Mays Jr., 32, Longview, Texas
  – Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana
  – Sentenced to 41 months in prison
  – 3 years of supervised release
• Dajuan “Bando” Jackson, 43, Shreveport, Louisiana
  – Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana
  – Sentenced to 46 months in prison
  – 3 years of supervised release
• Hadi Deeb, 26, Bossier City, Louisiana
  – Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to launder monetary instruments
  – Sentenced to 21 months in prison
  – 3 years of supervised release

Several defendants received probation rather than prison time:

• Javarria “Bubba” Linnear, 33, Shreveport, Louisiana
  – Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana
  – Sentenced to 5 years of supervised probation
  – Fined $5,500
• Clarissa Monet Holmes, 31, Shreveport, Louisiana
  – Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana
  – Sentenced to 3 years of supervised probation
• Shakera Stringfellow, 27, Shreveport, Louisiana
  – Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana
  – Sentenced to 3 years of supervised probation
• Elesia Denee Johnson, 28, Shreveport, Louisiana
  – Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana
  – Sentenced to 3 years of supervised probation

Two defendants have pleaded guilty but have not yet been sentenced:

• Adham Jamal “Polo” Deeb, 40, Bossier City, Louisiana
  – Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana
  – Sentencing set for February 12, 2026
• Cory David Beasley, 39, Shreveport, Louisiana
  – Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana
  – Sentencing set for March 12, 2026

U.S. District Judge S. Maurice Hicks Jr. will impose the remaining sentences after reviewing the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors, such as the nature of the offense and the defendants’ criminal histories.

Role Of OCDETF In The Investigation

The investigation was part of the federal OCDETF program, which focuses on high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven approach that brings together multiple agencies to identify, disrupt, and dismantle criminal networks.

In this case, the FBI and ATF worked alongside the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Shreveport Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica D. Cassidy and J. Aaron Crawford prosecuted the case.

Federal authorities described the outcome as an example of how coordinated enforcement can target long-running drug operations that cross state lines and use both traditional distribution methods and financial schemes to hide illegal profits.