Texas Man Sentenced for Methamphetamine Distribution Conspiracy

NEW ORLEANS, LA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that ELIAS SALAS, age 19, from Edinburgh, Texas, was sentenced on December 12, 2023 by U.S. District Judge Wendy B. Vitter to 108 months incarceration after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(A), and 846. Judge Vitter ordered that SALAS be placed on supervised release for five (5) years following release from imprisonment and pay a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.

According to the indictment, in March of 2023, SALAS knowingly conspired and agreed with others to pick up a bag he knew contained over 9 kilograms of pure methamphetamine in Dallas, Texas, and then work with others to transport the bag of narcotics from Texas to Kenner, Louisiana.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at http://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

United States Attorney Evans praised the work of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and the Kenner Police Department. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Stuart Theriot of the Narcotics Unit.