November 21, 2014

Lafayette Man Sentenced to 200 Months in Prison for Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute

LAKE CHARLES, LA—United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a Lafayette man was sentenced Thursday, to 200 months in prison and five years of supervised release for possession of cocaine.

Calvin James Catalon Jr., 35, of Lafayette, La., was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Patricia Minaldi on one count of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. According to evidence presented at the May 22, 2014 guilty plea, a Lake Charles police officer stopped Catalon’s vehicle for a traffic violation on January 17, 2014 on I-10. After the officer conducted a search of the vehicle, the officer found a bag containing white powder which was tested at a DEA laboratory in Dallas and identified as cocaine. The net weight of the illegal substance was approximately 991.8 grams.

“Because of the work of an alert police officer, a large shipment of cocaine was taken off the streets,” Finley stated. “Our goal is to keep communities safe and free of these dangerous substances. We will continue to vigorously prosecute these cases.”

The FBI, DEA, Lake Charles Police Department, Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Calcasieu Anti-Drug Team conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph T. Mickel prosecuted the case.