ALEXANDRIA, La.
Three individuals from North Louisiana have been sentenced by United States District Judge Dee D. Drell for their involvement in the trafficking of fentanyl.
Makayla Monique Smith, 29, of Campti, Louisiana, was sentenced to one year and one day in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Smith was charged in an indictment in July 2020 and pleaded guilty on July 7, 2021, to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
In March 2020, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Cenla Safe Streets Task Force began an investigation into the drug trafficking activities of individuals in the Natchitoches, Louisiana area.
During their investigation, law enforcement agents learned that three USPS Priority Parcels were received in the Natchitoches Post Office addressed to a known vacant address but were returned to the post office as “undeliverable.”
Smith was the driver of the Jeep and was arrested along with her co-defendants, Jeremy Dewayne Armstrong and Earl Mack Wallace, II.
Smith’s co-defendants, Jeremy Dewayne Armstrong, 37, of Natchitoches, and Earl Mack Wallace, II, 39, of Campti, both previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced by Judge Dee D. Drell to the following: Armstrong received a sentence of 240 months (20 years) in prison, followed by three years supervised release, and Wallace was sentenced to three years probation.
“A few grains of fentanyl can have deadly consequences and unfortunately fentanyl overdose cases have been an issue across our district in recent years,” said U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown. “One of our goals will be to vigorously prosecute those who possess this drug illegally. Further, we will continue to work closely with all of our law partners to disrupt drug fentanyl and methamphetamine traffickers, stopping them in their tracks.”
The FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office and Natchitoches Police Department investigated the case. U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown prosecuted the case.
Makayla Monique Smith, Defendant, was charged with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Smith was sentenced to one year and one day in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. The crime occurred in Natchitoches, Louisiana. The exact date of the crime is not specified.
Smith’s co-defendants, Jeremy Dewayne Armstrong and Earl Mack Wallace, II, both previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced by Judge Dee D. Drell to the following: Armstrong received a sentence of 240 months (20 years) in prison, followed by three years supervised release, and Wallace was sentenced to three years probation.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana prosecuted the case.
The FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office and Natchitoches Police Department investigated the case.
The investigation revealed that three USPS Priority Parcels were received in the Natchitoches Post Office addressed to a known vacant address but were returned to the post office as “undeliverable.”
Agents attempted to make a controlled delivery to the new address given but the parcels were refused by an adult female at the address.
USPS contacted the individual who had provided the new address and left a message that the delivery was attempted but the parcels were refused.
A male individual called and told the post office that the packages would be picked up.
That afternoon, agents observed two females arrive in a Jeep and enter the post office, retrieve the subject parcels, drive to a residence in Campti and take the packages into the residence.
Soon after, two males arrived at the residence and went inside.
A female then exited the residence and placed a box inside the Jeep and the two females and four children then got into the Jeep and left, followed by the two males.
Agents conducting surveillance observed the two vehicles travel from Campti to Natchitoches and the agents were able to stop their vehicles for probable cause.
Smith was the driver of the Jeep and was arrested along with her co-defendants, Jeremy Dewayne Armstrong and Earl Mack Wallace, II.
Agents recovered approximately 51 grams of fentanyl in the parcels.
All three defendants admitted to their involvement in obtaining the fentanyl.
Jeremy Dewayne Armstrong, Defendant, was charged with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Armstrong was sentenced to 240 months (20 years) in prison, followed by three years supervised release. The crime occurred in Natchitoches, Louisiana. The exact date of the crime is not specified.
Earl Mack Wallace, II, Defendant, was charged with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Wallace was sentenced to three years probation. The crime occurred in Campti, Louisiana. The exact date of the crime is not specified.
This case is part of Project Safe Streets Task Force, which is a comprehensive approach to address violent crime and gang violence in the Western District of Louisiana.
Related Federal Cases
- Randy Fields, Fentanyl Trafficking, Louisiana 2023 · Louisiana
- Reynaud Kendrell Variste, Heroin Trafficking, Louisiana 2022 · Texas
- Corey Enclarde, Cocaine Trafficking, Louisiana 2022 · Louisiana
- Darrell Dewayne Waller, Drug Trafficking, Louisiana 2020 · Louisiana
- Brandon Khesahn Cooper, Firearms and Drug Trafficking, Louisiana 2021 · Louisiana
Key Facts
- State: Louisiana
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
Drug Trafficking|Violent CrimeDrug Trafficking|Violent CrimeDrug Trafficking|Violent CrimeDrug Trafficking|Violent Crime