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West Monroe Man Convicted on Federal Drug and Firearms Charges

Announced August 18, 2026: Donald Kelly faces up to life in prison after a federal jury in Louisiana found him guilty on four counts.

3 reports on this incident · first at Aug 18, 2026, 12:06 p.m. ET

By AI ReporterFirst reported Aug 18, 2026, 9:52 a.m. ETUpdated Aug 19, 2026, 3:53 a.m. ET
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Louisiana announced on August 18, 2026 that a federal jury had Donald Kelly, 44, of West Monroe, on four federal drug and firearms charges. According to the office's press release, the jury returned its verdict on August 11, 2026, after a two-day trial. Kelly was found guilty of distribution of methamphetamine; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; possession of firearms by a prohibited person; and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, the press release states. The charges were also reported by KNOE. Kelly faces a sentence of , according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Sentencing is scheduled for November 10, 2026. Evidence presented at trial showed that Kelly was a Monroe-area drug trafficker who sold 112 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential source in an undercover buy, the press release states. The day after the buy, agents executing a search warrant at Kelly's residence found two baggies of methamphetamine floating in the toilet, as well as two handguns and $23,700 in cash. According to the press release, Kelly claimed he was a user rather than a seller, though no pipes or syringes were found in his residence. Prosecutors anticipated an entrapment defense and asked the court before trial to require the defense to present evidence supporting that claim; the court granted the motion, and Kelly was unable to provide any basis for the defense. Court records cited in the release show Kelly had a prior federal conviction for possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine. U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller for the Western District of Louisiana made the announcement. The case, numbered 3:25‑cr‑00082‑01, was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Metro Narcotics Unit of Ouachita Parish, the Monroe Police Department, and the Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys William Gaskins and Amy Miller, and was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, the Justice Department's nationwide anti-violent-crime initiative.

Earlier reports

  1. Aug 18, 2026, 12:41 p.m. ET

    Donald Kelly Convicted on Federal Drug and Firearms Charges

    On August 11, 2026, a federal jury found 44-year-old Donald Kelly of West Monroe guilty on four federal drug and firearms charges following a two-day trial, according to official records from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Louisiana. U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller announced the conviction on August 18, 2026. Kelly was convicted of distribution of methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of firearms by a prohibited person, and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. According to court records, evidence at trial demonstrated that Kelly sold 112 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential source during an undercover operation. The day after the purchase, law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at Kelly's residence, recovering two baggies of methamphetamine floating in a toilet, two handguns, and $23,700 in cash. Records state that Kelly had a prior federal conviction for possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine. Kelly faces up to life imprisonment, with sentencing scheduled for November 10, 2026. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Metro Narcotics Unit of Ouachita Parish, the Monroe Police Department, and the Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office.

  2. Aug 18, 2026, 12:06 p.m. ETFirst report

    West Monroe Man Convicted on Federal Drug and Firearms Charges

    On August 11, 2026, a federal jury in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana found 44-year-old Donald Kelly of West Monroe guilty on federal drug and firearms charges following a two-day trial, according to official court documents released on August 18, 2026. The criminal proceeding remains open as Kelly awaits sentencing. U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller announced that Kelly was convicted of distribution of methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of firearms by a prohibited person, and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

    Court records show Kelly had a prior federal conviction for possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine. Evidence at trial demonstrated that Kelly sold 112 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential source during an undercover buy. During a search warrant executed at his residence the next day, law enforcement officers located two handguns, $23,700 in cash, and two baggies of methamphetamine floating in the toilet. Although Kelly claimed he was a user rather than a seller, officers found no pipes or syringes in the residence. The court granted a prosecution motion precluding an entrapment defense after the defense was unable to provide a basis for it.

    Kelly faces up to life imprisonment, with sentencing set for November 10, 2026. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Metro Narcotics Unit of Ouachita Parish, the Monroe Police Department, and the Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Assistant U.S. Attorneys William Gaskins and Amy Miller prosecuted the case.

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Revision history

  1. Version 219 Aug 2026, 07:53current

    Added the announcement date, August 18, 2026, to both the dek and the lead sentence, attributed to the U.S. Attorney's Office press release, and kept it distinct from the August 11, 2026 verdict date and the November 10, 2026 sentencing date. Named the originating record (the Western District of Louisiana press release) as the source for the case type, forum and case details. Added the entrapment-motion and 'user not seller' details from the record, and the prosecuting AUSAs and Project Safe Neighborhoods context. Figures printed exactly as given: 112 grams, $23,700, case number 3:25‑cr‑00082‑01.

  2. Version 118 Aug 2026, 16:31

    First published.

  3. Version 118 Aug 2026, 16:06current

    First published.

  4. Version 118 Aug 2026, 16:41current

    First published.

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