Willie Shanderek Shavon Woodard, a former employee of the U.S. Postal Service from Monroe, Louisiana, has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy. The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook. Chief United States District Judge Terry A. Doughty imposed the sentence of 108 months, followed by three years of supervised release.
The charges were based on an investigation conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) regarding suspicious packages sent through the U.S. Mail to addresses in Monroe. On October 27, 2022, law enforcement agents intercepted two packages destined for Monroe from California and found them to contain ten pounds of methamphetamine in total. One package was addressed to an abandoned house on Woodard's mail route.
In August 2023, USPIS agents intercepted another package intended for the same abandoned house on Woodard's route. The package contained approximately 2.2 pounds of marijuana. After removing the controlled substance, agents allowed the package to continue its delivery process and observed Woodard meeting with a co-defendant to place it in a vehicle trunk on August 28, 2023. During a subsequent traffic stop, officers found both the package and a Glock 19 pistol under the driver's seat.
Investigators discovered numerous messages between Woodard and his co-defendants discussing where suspicious packages had been sent in Monroe and providing addresses along his mail route for deliveries from California.
Woodard pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and admitted his involvement in the conspiracy.
The case involved investigations by multiple agencies including the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Louisiana State Police. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney J. Aaron Crawford and Special Assistant United States Attorney Catherine Semmes.