Laplace Man Moore Gets 46 Months for Heroin and Gun Crimes

ELI JUAN MOORE, 26, of LaPlace, Louisiana, is headed to federal prison for 46 months after being caught selling heroin and holding a loaded handgun as a convicted felon. The sentence, handed down November 18, 2021, by U.S. District Judge Mary Ann Vial Lemmon, marks the end of a drug-fueled spiral that led straight to a federal courtroom in New Orleans.

MOORE pleaded guilty to three charges: conspiracy to distribute heroin, actual distribution of the drug, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Each count carried serious weight, but in the end, the sentences were ordered to run concurrently. No fine was imposed, but MOORE must now pay $300 in mandatory special assessment fees and face three years of supervised release upon his return to society.

The trouble began in January 2019, when MOORE sold heroin to a confidential informant in a controlled operation. The deal was sealed, the drugs changed hands, and federal investigators had their first solid case. But it wasn’t the last. By May of that same year, law enforcement raided MOORE’s residence — and found more than just a stash of narcotics.

Inside his LaPlace home, agents seized an FM Hi-Power Model Detective, a nine-millimeter semi-automatic pistol. MOORE, a previously convicted felon, had no legal right to possess any firearm. The gun charge alone was enough to trigger federal penalties, stacking on top of the heroin convictions.

The case was built through a joint effort between the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Saint John the Baptist Sheriff’s Office — a reminder that local and federal forces are tightening the screws on narcotics networks in southeast Louisiana. Prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bayonle Osundare, who pushed for accountability in a region plagued by opioid abuse and gun violence.

MOORE’s 46-month sentence sends a clear message: selling heroin and packing heat as a felon comes with federal time. With supervised release looming after prison, his freedom will remain under scrutiny. For now, the streets of LaPlace are one dealer shorter — but the drug trade, relentless as ever, waits for the next player to step up.