Press Release
☷Members of Drug Trafficking Conspiracy in the Natchitoches Louisiana Area Receive Federal Prison Sentences Totaling over 109 Years
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives ( By Press Release office)
Jan 05,2024
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Seven members of a drug trafficking ring in the Natchitoches area have all been sentenced , according to U . S . Attorney Brandon B . Brown . U . S . District Judge Dee D . Drell sentenced all of the defendants for conspiracy to distribute a significant amount of methamphetamine . The last one was sentenced on Dec . 22 , 2023 . Here are the names of the defendants and their sentences: James Christopher Weeks , 51 , of Montgomery , got 20 years in prison; Savannah Maria Weeks , 31 , of Arcadia , got six and a half years in prison; Eric Joseph Sandifer , 36 , of Pineville , got 10 years in prison; Ashley Danielle Dowden , 39 , of Natchitoches , got eight years in prison; Candiace Shree Bronson , 39 , of Alexandria , got six and a half years in prison; Louis Vernon Jackson , 39 , of Natchitoches , got 30 years in prison; Adam James Johnson , 41 , of Natchitoches , got 19 years and seven months in prison . The investigation revealed that these individuals were involved in distributing methamphetamine in northwest Louisiana . Weeks , who was serving a 16 - year prison sentence in the Yazoo City Medium federal prison facility for a drug conspiracy conviction in Louisiana , was still involved in drug trafficking from inside the prison . J . Weeks was using Facebook Messenger to communicate with S . Weeks , Johnson , and other co - conspirators about selling methamphetamine . On March 26 , 2020 , a K9 at the shipping facility in San Bernardino , California , alerted authorities to a package addressed to J . Weeks ' mother and daughter in Arcadia , Louisiana . Law enforcement obtained a search warrant and found six pounds of methamphetamine . J . Weeks confessed to agents that he had met a drug supplier while in prison and helped arrange for the package to be sent to his mother ' s house . J . Weeks introduced Johnson to these suppliers , and Johnson made multiple purchases from them . In March 2020 , agents watched Johnson ' s home in Natchitoches and saw Dowden arrive and go inside . Shortly after , both Dowden and Johnson left in separate vehicles and were later pulled over for a traffic violation . Agents found suspected drugs in Dowden ' s possession . A search warrant was executed at Johnson ' s house , revealing approximately 3 , 720 grams of methamphetamine hidden in the attic . Dowden admitted to hiding the drugs at Johnson ' s request and also revealed that they had made trips to Dallas together to get more methamphetamine in exchange for large sums of money . Lab analysis confirmed that the substance was indeed methamphetamine , with a total weight of 3 , 716 . 7 grams and purity levels ranging from 89 . 4% to 98 . 4% . On March 3 , 2020 , Sandifer , who was on supervised probation in Louisiana , was arrested in Oklahoma for a drug offense . When officers went to his residence , they found methamphetamine in a vehicle in his yard . Sandifer admitted to using the vehicle for several weeks . A search warrant was obtained and officers seized approximately 127 grams of methamphetamine , along with a digital scale and baggies from inside the vehicle . Sandifer ' s cell phone also contained messages about methamphetamine trafficking in Natchitoches with Johnson . As part of their investigation , agents surveilled the Motel 6 in Natchitoches and the Best Western in Alexandria . On April 16 , 2020 , they observed Jackson arrive at the Motel 6 and then leave the property . Agents got search warrants for those rooms and found 34 Tramadol pills , a Marlin rifle ( model: 336CS , caliber: 30 - 30 ) , a SCCY pistol ( model: CPX - 1 ) , and some paperwork with Bronson ' s name . On May 13 , 2020 , agents saw S . Weeks and another guy go into a room at the Best Western hotel . S . Weeks left and got pulled over in a traffic stop . Agents found about 132 grams of actual methamphetamine on her , and it was confirmed to be the real deal . They got a search warrant for the hotel room and found Bronson and Jackson there . They seized around 498 grams of methamphetamine , $11 , 300 in cash , and Bronson ' s purse . Bronson and Jackson were arrested . The North Louisiana Criminalistics Laboratory analyzed the suspected drugs and confirmed that the substances seized from S . Weeks and the hotel room were indeed methamphetamine , weighing 132 . 7 grams with a purity level of 89 . 9% and 498 . 2 grams with a purity level of 92 . 7% , respectively . Natchitoches Parish District Attorney Billy Jo Harrington also praised the U . S . Attorney ' s Office for prosecuting these cases in federal court . He said , "Some of the defendants , including Johnson , are also facing charges in Natchitoches Parish . I want to commend our local law enforcement agencies for their hard work in getting illegal drugs off our streets . " This case was investigated by the Natchitoches Multi - Jurisdictional Drug Task Force ( NMJDTF ) , Department of Homeland Security Investigations , FBI , ATF , Natchitoches City Police , and Rapides Area Drug Enforcement ( RADE ) Unit , and prosecuted by Assistant U . S . Attorneys Cytheria D . Jernigan , Brian C . Flanagan , and U . S . Attorney Brandon B . Brown .
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