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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – ERIC METZ, age 39, a resident of Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, pled guilty on November 1, 2022, before U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine, crack cocaine, and methamphetamine in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1),  841(b)(1)(C), and 846, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i), announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.

According to court documents, a DEA investigation revealed that METZ was involved in a large narcotics distribution conspiracy in Plaquemines Parish. On June 5, 2021, Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office  deputies conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by METZ in Belle Chasse, Louisiana. During the traffic stop, deputies established probable cause to search the vehicle.  During the search, they discovered six clear plastic bags containing crack cocaine, a fully loaded FN, nine-millimeter, semi-automatic handgun, and $3,238.00 in U.S. currency.

For the drug conspiracy charge, METZ faces up to twenty years imprisonment, a fine of up to $1,000,000.00, at least three years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.  For possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, METZ faces a minimum of five years of imprisonment, up to life imprisonment, to run consecutive with any other sentence, a fine of up to $250,000, up to five years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office.  The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney J. Benjamin Myers.