WESTWEGO, LA – Two Jefferson Parish men are off the streets for a long time after a 2020 high-speed chase exposed a drug and gun operation they weren’t supposed to be running in the first place. Anthony Pittman, 33, of Metairie, and Joseph Woods, 31, also of Metairie, were sentenced earlier this month after pleading guilty to a three-count federal indictment.
According to court documents, both Pittman and Woods were already convicted felons – with prior drug trafficking and firearm offenses in Jefferson Parish. That alone made simple possession of a firearm illegal. But these two weren’t just holding guns; they were peddling cocaine, crack cocaine, and heroin while armed. The bust went down October 4, 2020, when Westwego Police attempted a traffic stop. Instead of cooperating, the pair led officers on a chase, tossing two camouflage bags filled with drugs onto the side of the road in a desperate attempt to ditch the evidence.
The effort failed. Officers recovered the bags, and a search of the vehicle revealed even more evidence of a drug trafficking operation inside the center console. Pittman faced the harshest penalty, receiving a staggering 322 months in federal prison. This breaks down to 240 months for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances (Count 1), 262 months for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime (Count 2), and 60 months for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm (Count 3). Counts 1 and 2 will run concurrently, but Count 3 will be served consecutively, meaning Pittman will serve the full combined sentence. He’ll also face three years of supervised release upon his eventual release.
Woods wasn’t far behind. He received a 262-month sentence: 202 months for Count 1, 120 months for Count 2, and 60 months for Count 3. Like Pittman, Counts 1 and 2 run concurrently, with Count 3 tacked on at the end. Woods will also be under supervised release for three years after prison. The case was built by the Westwego Police Department and agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans framed the sentencing as a win for “Project Safe Neighborhoods” (PSN), a federal program aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence. While the program sounds good on paper, it’s the work on the ground – the cops chasing down fleeing felons and the Feds building solid cases – that puts criminals behind bars. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles D. Strauss prosecuted the case.
These sentences send a clear message: Jefferson Parish, and the entire Eastern District of Louisiana, won’t tolerate repeat offenders flooding the streets with drugs and firearms. For Pittman and Woods, that message came with a hefty price – decades behind bars. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and report on the fallout from this bust.
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Key Facts
- Agency: ATF
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Weapons|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Press Release
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