Louisiana – A Texas man has been sentenced to 11 years for the distribution of methamphetamine in Louisiana.
On August 4, 2023, United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown, revealed the punishment of a Houston, Texas man for unlawfully possessing methamphetamine in the Western District of Louisiana. Paul Powell, 29, of Houston, was sentenced by United States District Judge David C. Joseph to 135 months (11 years and 3 months) in prison. This would be succeeded by 4 years of strict supervision for his plan to distribute methamphetamine. Powell pleaded guilty to the charges on April 21, 2023.
On the 4th of September, 2019, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office officers spotted a black Mercedes Benz, driven by Powell, on the road with two defective headlights, in violation of the state law. After noticing the car park at a house where Powell shortly entered before getting back into the car, law enforcement tried to pull him over. However, Powell ignored their signals and attempted to escape at a high speed. His flight ended on Elephant Walk Road in Lafayette, Louisiana, where he and an unidentified passenger left the car, fled on foot, and attempted to escape by crossing multiple yards and climbing over several fences. Powell was eventually captured and handcuffed. A search of the vehicle led to the discovery of a digital weighing scale and a bag of methamphetamine. Upon interrogation, Powell confessed to owning the substance the next day.
The presumed drugs were forwarded to the DEA Laboratory for examination. The evaluation revealed that the material tested positive for methamphetamine, weighing approximately 210 grams, with a slight possible variation of 0.2 grams.
The investigation of the case was carried out by the DEA in collaboration with the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office, while Assistant U.S. Attorney LaDonte A. Murphy was in charge of the prosecution.