Oakdale Man Sentenced to 87 Months in Prison on Drug Charges

Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Investigation Code Named “Broken Hitch”

LAKE CHARLES, LA—United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that Thomas Dwain Tilton, Jr., age 51, of Oakdale, Louisiana, was sentenced today to 87 months in prison and three years’ supervised release for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Patricia Minaldi as a result of Tilton’s guilty plea in February of 2012.

In May of 2011, Tilton and two others were indicted on drug charges as a result of a joint Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation conducted by federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Tilton’s co-defendants admitted to trafficking in methamphetamine for several years and asserted that Tilton was one of their suppliers. On June 11, 2010, the co-defendants went to Humble, Texas, where they met Tilton at a motel room and obtained two ounces of methamphetamine. Upon returning from Texas to Louisiana, the two co-defendants were stopped in Sulphur, Louisiana. One of the co-defendants was found to be in possession of what was later analyzed to be 21 grams of actual methamphetamine.

During his guilty plea, Tilton admitted that his methamphetamine source in East Texas possessed and distributed to him and others more than 500 grams of methamphetamine. Both of Tilton’s co-defendants previously pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. Kimberly Ann Thompson pled guilty on March 19, 2012, and was sentenced on July 19, 2012 to 10 years in prison and five years of supervised release; Harlis Ramsey Martin pled guilty on March 9, 2012, and was sentenced on June 14, 2012 to 140 months in prison and five years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Finley stated: “Methamphetamine continues to have a destructive and deadly effect on our communities. We hope this case sends a message that anyone who traffics in these types of drugs will face serious consequences. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, along with its law enforcement partners, will not be hindered or deterred in the prosecution of these cases.”

OCDETF is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Louisiana State Police, and Texas Department of Public Safety and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett Grayson.