Former Bossier Parish school superintendent pleads guilty and will pay $100,000 fine for drug possession charges

SHREVEPORT, La. – Former Bossier Parish Superintendent of Schools Wendell Scott Smith, 61, of Bossier City, Louisiana, pleaded guilty today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark L. Hornsby to possession of Valium, Ambien, Soma and Lyrica in four separate counts, U.S. Attorney David C. Joseph announced.  Smith was sentenced to one year of supervised release and was fined $100,000. 

According to the guilty plea, law enforcement agents intercepted a DHL package containing Diazepam, also known as Valium, addressed to a Bossier City residence on January 31, 2019.  After the Diazepam tested positive, the agents conducted a controlled delivery of the package, which originated in India and contained a forged prescription.  Smith was confronted by law enforcement agents after he picked up the package and placed it in his vehicle, and agreed to a search of his vehicle, resulting in the Diazepam package being recovered.  In an interview later that evening, Smith admitted to purchasing controlled substances illegally online without a valid prescription for six years, spending more than $10,000 on controlled substances during this time.  Also during the interview, agents seized Diazepam and Propranolol that Smith removed from his pocket.  Smith agreed to a search of his property and showed agents where he kept the drugs he had purchased from the internet.

The following controlled substances were seized from the master bedroom area of Smith’s residence: 

Tadalafil Tablets – 53 tablets

Promethazine Hydrochloride Tablets – 99 tablets

Zolpidem (Ambien) Tablets – 43 tablets

Carisoprodol (Soma) Tablets – 54 tablets

Gabapentin Sustained Release Tablets – 174 tablets

Zolpidem Aurobindo – 52 tablets

Ondansetron Tablets – 63 tablets

Sanval – 9 tablets

Quetiapine Tablets – 17 tablets

Propanolol Hydrochloride Tablets – 102 tablets

Diazepam (Valium) – 50 tablets

Nebivolol Hydrochloride Tablets – 93 tablets

Propanolol Hydrochloride Tablets –7 tablets

Quetiapine Tablets – 51 tablets

Pregabalin (Lyrica) Capsules – 47 capsules

Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian C. Flanagan is prosecuting the case.