Bogalusa Man Sentenced to Almost 20 Years for Federal Drug Trafficking and Offenses

U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans has announced that Jamar McGowan, age 30 and of Bogalusa, Louisiana, was sentenced on July 31, 2024, to 235 months imprisonment after previously pleading guilty to violations of the Federal Control Substances Act and the Federal Gun Control Act.  Specifically, McGowan pled guilty to maintaining a drug involved premises, conspiring to use firearms in furtherance of a drug conspiracy, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Each sentence was ordered to run concurrently with each other.  He was also sentenced to serve 3 years of supervised release after his release from prison and pay a mandatory $300 special assessment fee.

According to court documents, in 2018, agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated several acts of violence and narcotics trafficking in Bogalusa, Louisiana.  Agents determined that McGowan and others were members and associates of an organization that conspired to distribute controlled substances.  Members of this group also possessed, used, carried, and discharged numerous firearms to further their drug trafficking and other crimes of violence.  Specifically, from 2017 to the present, their firearm activities were designed to protect their drug turf, retaliate against rival neighborhood drug groups, and maintain and increase their status in the group and in the City of Bogalusa.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.       

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Maurice Landrieu of the Narcotics Unit and investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Bogalusa Police Department.