LEONID DJUGA, Methamphetamine Conspiracy, Louisiana 2014

California Man Sentenced to 200 Months for Methamphetamine Conspiracy in Louisiana

Reseda, California resident LEONID DJUGA, 40, was sentenced to 200 months in prison for his role in a methamphetamine conspiracy that brought large quantities of the drug to south Louisiana for distribution. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana announced the sentencing, which was handed down by U.S. District Judge Lance M. Africk.

According to court documents, DJUGA was the source of methamphetamine for two men who were selling the drug in Arabi, Louisiana. In June 2014, St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested the two men and, through their investigation, learned that DJUGA was the supplier. Deputies then worked with agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Orleans Field Office to intercept four packages containing methamphetamine that were being mailed through Federal Express to Arabi, Louisiana. The packages contained over one kilogram of methamphetamine, with a purity level of over 99%.

On July 15, 2014, DEA agents, along with Los Angeles Police Department officers and a St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s deputy, arrested DJUGA at his residence in Reseda, California. At the time of his arrest, agents found plastic bottles similar to those used to package the methamphetamine, as well as a drug ledger, a receipt for a package being shipped to Louisiana, and three cellular telephones. Agents also located a BMW registered to DJUGA and found a box cutter with residue in the trunk of the car.

A subsequent search of DJUGA’s cellular phones revealed text messages discussing shipments of packages to Louisiana and a photograph of a FedEx tracking label destined for Louisiana.

In sentencing DJUGA to 200 months in jail, Judge Africk also sentenced him to 5 years of supervised release after his term of imprisonment. In a related case, one of DJUGA’s co-conspirators, Dan Pizarro, was sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the scheme.

U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office in bringing DJUGA to justice. Evans also thanked the District Attorney’s Office for Louisiana’s 34th Judicial District, the DEA Los Angeles Field Office, and the Los Angeles Police Department for their assistance in the successful prosecution. Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew Payne, Brandon Long, and Shirin Hakimzadeh handled the prosecution.

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