FBI, US Postal Service Investigation Catches Drug Smuggler Working With Cartel From Prison in Central Louisiana
POLLOCK, La. (KPEL News) - A federal inmate already serving a lengthy sentence for drug distribution has been sentenced to a further stay behind bars after a joint investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the United States Postal Inspection Service caught him running a methamphetamine operation out of FCI Pollock and working with the Cartel.
According to the US Attorney's Office, law enforcement agents began investigating 42-year-old Isidro Chavarria in January 2021 as they learned he was coordinating a large scale drug distribution operation while serving the 17+ year prison sentence that he began in 2019. Agents say contraband phones were smuggled into the prison so Chavarria could communicate with Cartel members and others involved, including his wife who he directed to distribute the meth that his co-conspirators would send to her.
On April 4, 2023, Chavarria pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He was sentenced by United States District Judge Dee D. Drell to 120 months (10 years) in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release. This sentence will run consecutive to the sentence he was serving.
In a story reported by KPEL News in July, Pollock has certainly had its share of drug problems as the largest drug bust in the history of Grant Parish involved two men from north of that area.
This story of drug distribution involving an inmate isn't surprising as the federal prison in Pollock has been the subject of multiple stories/features. One of them, "Living Hell: The Plight of Inmates in FCC Pollock," highlights the history of Pollock and Grant Parish, as well as the alleged harsh conditions at the prison.
This video by the Zoukis Consulting Group presents information about FCI Pollock as their group "helps clients serve the least amount of time, at the best federal prisons, with the earliest opportunity for release."
