Source: United States Department of Justice News
SHREVEPORT, La. – 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.
Beginning in March 2019, and continuing until on or about December 31, 2019, Francis and eight other defendants were involved in a drug trafficking conspiracy and pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing methamphetamine in the Caddo and Bossier Parish areas. Law enforcement officers began an investigation into their illegal drug trafficking activities and were able to obtain a court ordered wiretap on one of his co-defendants, Demetrius Deangelo Hall’s, cell phone. Through numerous intercepted communications, agents learned that Hall was communicating with Francis and others. Hall and Francis discussed providing each other with various amounts of methamphetamine on numerous occasions.
During the investigation, on October 21, 2019, law enforcement agents intercepted phone calls and text messages between Hall and his co-conspirators indicating that Hall was traveling to Texas to obtain more methamphetamine from co-defendant Steve Mireles. During these intercepted calls, Francis was heard discussing the price of methamphetamine for Francis’ part and that he would have to pay for the courier fee. On February 22, 2021, Francis pled guilty to possessing with intent to distribute at least 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
This case was investigated by the DEA, ATF, Shreveport Police Department, Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office, Greenwood Police Department, and Louisiana State Police. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tennille Gilreath and Allison Duncan. This effort is part of an ongoing Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
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