Department of Justice

SHREVEPORT, La. – Seven members of a drug trafficking conspiracy were recently sentenced by Chief United States District Judge S. Maurice Hicks, Jr., with the lead defendant having been sentenced today, announced United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown.

Demetrius DeAngelo Hall, 37, of Bossier City, Louisiana, was sentenced today to 262 months (21 years, 10 months) in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Hall’s co-defendants and their sentences are as follows:

Steve Mireles, 41, of Dallas, Texas, was sentenced to 96 months (8 years) in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

John R. Wilson, 50, of Shreveport, Louisiana, was sentenced to 120 months (10 years) in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Larry Nichols, 48, of Shreveport, Louisiana, was sentenced to 77 months (6 years, 5 months) in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Aaron McKinney, 40, of Shreveport, was sentenced to 120 months (10 years) in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Bland Mouncil, 57, of Dallas, Texas, was sentenced to 120 months (10 years) in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Nolan Washington, 35, of Bossier City, was sentenced to 120 months (10 years) in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

From March 1, 2019, and continuing until on or about December 31, 2019, each of these defendants were involved in a drug trafficking conspiracy and pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing methamphetamine in the Caddo and Bossier Parish areas. Law enforcement officers began an investigation into their illegal drug trafficking activities and were able to obtain a court ordered wiretap on Hall’s cell phone. Through numerous intercepted communications, agents learned that Hall was obtaining his methamphetamine from multiple sources, including from Steve Mireles in Texas. Hall transported the narcotics himself or through a courier to the Shreveport area where he would distribute the methamphetamine to his co-defendants. Hall met individuals at various locations throughout the Shreveport and Bossier area.

During the investigation, on October 21, 2019, law enforcement agents intercepted phone calls and text messages between Hall and his co-conspirators indicating that Hall was traveling to Texas to obtain more methamphetamine from Mireles. During these intercepted calls, Aaron McKinney was heard discussing a request for more drugs with Hall. Upon Hall’s and his co-conspirator, Bland Mouncil’s return from Texas, officers initiated a traffic stop. Mouncil then fled from law enforcement throwing the methamphetamine out the window. A high-speed pursuit with Mouncil began. During the pursuit, Mouncil called Hall and informed him he had thrown the methamphetamine out the window. Law enforcement was able to recover the drugs. Hall was later arrested on November 7, 2019, and he pled guilty to possessing with intent to distribute over 500 grams of methamphetamine. McKinney later admitted to law enforcement agents that he was buying and selling methamphetamine from Hall.

Larry Nichols participated in numerous phone calls with Hall in which they discussed various amounts of drugs, prices, and meeting locations, as well as making arrangements for Nichols to provide Hall with various amounts of drugs. On October 15, 2019, Nichols was found to be in possession of a stolen vehicle and was arrested by law enforcement officers. A search of the stolen vehicle revealed a clear plastic bag containing marijuana and methamphetamine. The seized methamphetamine was sent to the crime lab for analysis and determined to have a net weight of at least 5 grams or more.

Calls were also intercepted between Hall, Nolan Washington and John Wilson wherein they discussed the purchasing and selling of methamphetamine. Hall met with both Washington and Wilson at different times to conduct drug transactions. Through their surveillance, DEA agents observed both Washington and Wilson meet Hall to obtain the drugs. On November 5, 2019, agents observed Wilson get into Hall’s vehicle for a brief time, exit, and walk back to his vehicle. Agents followed Wilson and an officer conducted a traffic stop of his vehicle. A search was conducted, and the same amount of methamphetamine was found in the vehicle that they had discussed in the intercepted phone call. Wilson admitted to purchasing methamphetamine from Hall numerous times.

The two remaining defendants in this conspiracy, Michael C. Francis and David Williams, have each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and are scheduled to be sentenced at a later date. 

This case was investigated by the DEA, ATF, Shreveport Police Department, Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office, Greenwood Police Department, and Louisiana State Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tennille Gilreath and Allison Duncan.

This effort is part of an ongoing Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

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