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SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that Antonio Lamont Ware, 44, of Shreveport, Louisiana, has been sentenced by Chief United States District Judge S. Maurice Hicks, Jr. to 170 months (14 years, 2 months) in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, on drug trafficking and firearms charges.

Ware was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2021 and pleaded guilty to charges of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. According to information presented in court, on November 6, 2020, agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) conducted a surveillance operation on Ware at his residence in Shreveport. Agents observed Ware get in his vehicle and drive down I-49. Deputies with the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office attempted to stop Ware for a traffic violation, and he refused to stop.  While deputies were following him, they observed Ware throw a handgun out of the passenger window. The handgun struck the hood of the deputy’s vehicle and landed on the shoulder of the roadway. Ware finally pulled over and was interviewed by law enforcement agents. He admitted to possessing illegal narcotics and agents located 1,037.8 grams of methamphetamine, 176.7 grams of cocaine, and approximately 600 ecstasy pills. Agents also found three handguns in the same location where the drugs were located.

Ware has prior felony convictions, including a state conviction for accessory after the fact of simple burglary in 2000, and a federal conviction for conspiracy to distribute cocaine in 2006.

The case was investigated by DEA and the ATF and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Aaron Crawford. This 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.