Methamphetamine Found in Car Leads to Federal Conviction of Shreveport Man

SHREVEPORT, La. - James Edward Knighten, Jr., 35, of Shreveport, Louisiana, was sentenced today on drug trafficking charges, announced United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown. United States District Judge S. Maurice Hicks, Jr. sentenced Knighten to 96 months (8 years) in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release.

On or about May 15, 2023, near Southern Avenue in Shreveport, a Louisiana State Police trooper conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle for having a switched license plate. Knighten was the driver and sole occupant of the car. The trooper determined that Knighten had an outstanding warrant, and he placed himunder arrest.

A K-9 and his handler came on scene to conduct an open-air sniff around the vehicle. After the K-9 positively alerted to the presence of narcotics, troopers searched the car. Among the items recovered inside the vehicle were 100 orange tablets. The tablets were submitted to the crime lab for analysis, the results of which confirmed they contained methamphetamine. Knighten was arrested and subsequently pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Louisiana State Police and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica D. Cassidy.

The investigation and conviction of Knighten is part of an ongoing Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

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