Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that Dinah Manuel, 31, of Opelousas, Louisiana, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert R. Summerhays sentenced Manuel to 60 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Manuel pleaded guilty on Nov. 22, 2019.
According to information presented to the court on Nov. 22, 2019, Manuel arranged purchases of methamphetamine from a co-defendant for eventual resale.
Transactions between Manuel and the methamphetamine co-defendant occurred approximately once per week, and each transaction involved quantities of up to one ounce of methamphetamine. Manuel arranged the purchases so that another individual could resell the methamphetamine for profit. In exchange for facilitating the transactions, Manuel often received a portion of the methamphetamine purchased for her own personal use.
The prosecution is part of a larger investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration through its Southwest Louisiana HIDTA Task Force and Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Forces. The Louisiana State Police Narcotics Division initiated the investigation, and Special Agents with DEA, as well as Task Force Officers assigned to the Southwest Louisiana HIDTA Task Force, completed the investigation. In addition to the above conviction and sentence, the investigation resulted in the dismantling of a drug trafficking organization in Ville Platte.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert C. Abendroth prosecuted the case.