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SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that a Shreveport man was sentenced today by United States District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote for his involvement in a drug trafficking conspiracy.

Demetrius D. Loston, 39, of Shreveport, Louisiana, was sentenced to 360 months (30 years) in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release. Loston pleaded guilty August 19, 2021 to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

In July 2020, agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) began an investigation into drug trafficking activities in the Cedar Grove area after receiving information that Loston was distributing large amounts of methamphetamine in the Shreveport area. This Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation was named “Operation Lost and Found” and resulted in federal indictments against nine defendants for conspiring together to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. During their investigation, agents were able to intercept multiple phone calls between Loston and other co-defendants, wherein they communicated about buying and selling large amounts of methamphetamine for profit. Loston has prior felony convictions for possession with intent to distribute Schedule II controlled substances in 2000, possession of a Schedule II controlled substances in 2005, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in 2014, and possession with intent to distribute Schedule II controlled substances in 2018.

The investigation was conducted by the DEA, ATF, and Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Aaron Crawford. This effort is part of an ongoing 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 https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.