SHREVEPORT, La. - United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a Lufkin, Texas, man pleaded guilty to possessing cocaine.
Laraymeon Jevon Watson, 21, of Lufkin, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge S. Maurice Hicks Jr. to one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. According to the guilty plea, Watson received cocaine powder and Ecstasy pills from a supplier in Texas. When his vehicle was stopped on June 24, 2015 near Greenwood, La., for a traffic violation, approximately 8 ounces of cocaine powder and more than 3,000 Ecstasy pills were found. He later admitted he planned to sell the drugs.
Watson faces up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a $1 million fine and restitution. A sentencing date of June 1, 2016 was set.
The defendant was arrested as part of Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Operation “River City Blues." The DEA, the Louisiana State Police, and the Lufkin Police Department investigated the case. The OCDETF program is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations, coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources, and disrupting and dismantling of major drug trafficking organizations.
Assistant U.S. Attorney James G. Cowles Jr. is prosecuting the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
