Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook has announced the sentencing of Jeremy Wade Denegall, a 45-year-old resident of Lake Charles, Louisiana. Denegall was sentenced by United States District Judge David C. Joseph to 12 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for drug trafficking offenses.
The charges stem from an incident on February 22, 2022, when law enforcement officers stopped Denegall's vehicle on Interstate 10 for a traffic violation. Officers detected the smell of marijuana emanating from the vehicle and conducted a search. They discovered a plastic baggie containing crack cocaine, another bag with methamphetamine and fentanyl, two firearms, a magazine with 19 rounds of ammunition, and two digital scales.
Denegall was charged and later pleaded guilty on November 15, 2024, to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
The investigation was carried out by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives along with the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office and Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney LaDonte A. Murphy.