Plaquemines Parish Man Sentenced For Federal Drug and Gun Violations

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – ERIC METZ, age 40, a resident of Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, was sentenced on August 2, 2023 to 61 months imprisonment, 3 years of supervised release, and a mandatory $200 special assessment fee by U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.

METZ previously pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine, crack cocaine, and methamphetamine in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1),  841(b)(1)(C), and 846, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i)

According to court documents, a DEA investigation revealed that METZ was involved in a large narcotics distribution conspiracy in Plaquemines Parish.  On June 5, 2021, Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office  deputies conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by METZ in Belle Chasse, Louisiana.  During the traffic stop, deputies established probable cause to search the vehicle.  During the search, they discovered six clear plastic bags containing crack cocaine, a fully loaded FN, nine-millimeter, semi-automatic handgun, and $3,238.00 in U.S. currency. 

This case was investigated by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney J. Benjamin Myers of the Narcotics Unit.