Drug Traffickers Found with Large Quantities of Methamphetamine Sentenced to Federal Prison

MONROE, La. - United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced the resolution of two separate drug trafficking cases from the Monroe Division in the Western District of Louisiana today. Chief United States District Judge Terry A. Doughty sentenced the following defendants:

Jacque Pierre Young, 30, of Arcadia, was sentenced to 324 months (27 years) in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. Agents with the Lincoln Parish Narcotics Enforcement Team obtained a search warrant for an apartment on East California Avenue in Ruston, Louisiana, based on evidence they had obtained. When officers arrived at the house, they found Young in a bedroom in the apartment. Inside that bedroom, agents found a total of 80 grams of methamphetamine, as well as 54 grams of crack cocaine.  A loaded EAA Girsan MC28 9mm handgun was also located in an open storage bin in the bedroom. The narcotics were submitted to the DEA lab for testing and the results indicated the methamphetamine to be 97% pure and the crack cocaine to be 54 grams of cocaine base. Young admitted that the drugs and firearm belonged to him and that he intended to sell the drugs. He pleaded guilty to the charges on February 2, 2023.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Lincoln Parish Narcotics Enforcement Team, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William Gaskins.

In a separate and unrelated case, Marianno Goldsmith, 37, and Thomas Boswell, 32, both of Florida, were each sentenced to 151 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Both defendants pleaded guilty in January 2023 to the charge. Evidence presented to the court revealed that on May 16, 2022, a trooper with the Louisiana State Police conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle on I-20 near Richland Parish which was being driven by Goldsmith and Boswell was the sole passenger. The traffic stop led to a search of the vehicle and law enforcement officers found two duffle bags in the trunk containing suspected methamphetamine. The narcotics were submitted to the lab for testing and the results confirmed that the substance was methamphetamine with a net weight of approximately 29,213 grams.

The case was investigated by the DEA and Louisiana State Police and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Cassidy.

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