Texas Man David Wayne Carlisle Pleads Guilty to Meth Distribution

David Wayne Carlisle, 41, of Marshall, Texas, admitted in federal court to dealing poison in northern Louisiana, pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine in Shreveport on Tuesday. The admission closes a chapter on a high-stakes drug run that ended with a suitcase of meth and a wad of cash in a Bossier City hotel room.

Carlisle entered his guilty plea before U.S. District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote, copping to one count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. The charge stems from a targeted law enforcement operation on February 5, 2016, when authorities moved in after receiving tip-off that Carlisle was in town to offload illegal narcotics.

Agents swarmed the hotel room and found more than 5 grams of methamphetamine stashed inside, along with $43,305 in cash—dirty money or payment for past deals, prosecutors say. The amount of drugs and the stack of untraceable bills painted a clear picture: Carlisle wasn’t holding for personal use. He was moving weight.

The DEA and Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office led the investigation, closing in on Carlisle through intelligence and on-the-ground surveillance. The bust underscores the interstate pipeline of meth flooding through the Gulf South, with East Texas serving as a frequent launchpad into Louisiana’s urban corridors.

Now Carlisle faces the full wrath of federal sentencing—five to 40 years behind bars, a minimum of four years under supervised release, and a potential $5 million fine. No promises were made as to leniency, and with the drug trade under federal crosshairs, prosecutors are pushing for maximum accountability.

Sentencing is scheduled for February 21, 2017. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown is handling the prosecution. Carlisle remains in custody without bond, his freedom hanging on a judge’s final word.

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