ALEXANDRIA, La. - United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced today that an Alexandria man previously convicted of a felony pleaded guilty to possessing a semiautomatic handgun discovered during an opioid sting.
Eric Darnell Tison, 47, of Alexandria, Louisiana, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell to one count of felon in possession of a firearm. According to the guilty plea, a U.S. postal inspector contacted the Louisiana State Police Narcotics Unit on Oct. 13, 2015 in Alexandria after intercepting a package with suspected narcotics destined for a home in Pineville, Louisiana. After obtaining a search warrant, law enforcement found approximately 1,000 pills of suspected methadone hydrochloride, a synthetic opioid, in the package. State police obtained a state search warrant on Oct. 14, 2015 for the home in Pineville and executed a controlled delivery of the package, which Tison accepted at the front door. After Tison took it into the house, state police executed the warrant and found a Cobra.380 caliber semiautomatic pistol with five rounds of ammunition and some marijuana in the master bedroom along with the package of methadone pills. Tison, a convicted felon, was the only person home at the time of the search.
Tison faces five to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, forfeiture of the seized weapon and a $250,000 fine. The court set a sentencing date of Aug. 30, 2018.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
The ATF, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Louisiana State Police conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike O’Mara is prosecuting the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
