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New Orleans Man Sentenced to 66 Months for Methamphetamine Distribution

Luis Morales was sentenced in federal court for distributing pure methamphetamine and selling a firearm in a developing case.

By AI ReporterWritten Aug 16, 2026, 7:39 a.m. ET
Developing

This case is not concluded. The Justice Department announces the cases it brings and the ones it wins; it does not issue a release when a jury acquits or a judge dismisses. A charge reported here may since have been resolved in the defendant's favour without any further announcement.

On August 13, 2026, 36-year-old Luis Morales was to 66 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for distributing methamphetamine, according to official court records from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana. U.S. District Judge Carl J. Barbier also ordered Morales to pay a $300 special assessment fee. Official records reflect that the case status remains open and developing. According to court documents announced on August 15, 2026, by U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle, Morales had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of distributing more than five grams of actual methamphetamine. In August 2023, Morales sold methamphetamine on three separate occasions to individuals he believed to be legitimate buyers, distributing a total of more than 120 grams of methamphetamine that was between 96%-99% pure. Court documents also record that Morales sold a firearm to the individuals. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Louisiana State Police, and the New Orleans Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit is in charge of the prosecution, which official records state is part of Operation Take Back America.

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  1. Version 116 Aug 2026, 11:39current

    First published.

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