Tangipahoa Man Receives 37 Months for Methamphetamine and Fentanyl Distribution

NEW ORLEANS — Garrett McClain Jr., 24, of Tangipahoa Parish, received a 37-month prison sentence followed by three years of supervised release on May 7 2026 from U.S. District Judge Barry Ashe, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana announced on May 12.

McClain pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and one count of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. The charges fall under Title 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1), § 841(b)(1)(A), and § 841(b)(1)(B).

Federal sentencing guidelines treat these drug quantities as triggering mandatory minimum ranges that the court applied in this case.

The sentence affects McClain directly by imposing 37 months of incarceration. It also places him under supervised release conditions for three years after release. The U.S. Department of Justice release does not specify additional fines or forfeiture but notes the conviction stems from federal drug charges investigated by agencies operating in the Eastern District of Louisiana.

The conviction shifts McClain from pretrial status to federal custody. Imprisonment begins immediately following the May 7 hearing. The three-year supervised release term starts upon completion of the prison sentence and carries standard conditions plus any specific restrictions ordered by the court.

Downstream, the Bureau of Prisons must designate a facility for McClain’s 37-month term. The U.S. Probation Office will prepare for his supervised release, including potential drug testing and reporting requirements. The case adds one conviction to the Eastern District of Louisiana’s ongoing federal prosecutions of methamphetamine and fentanyl distribution, which carry mandatory minimum sentences under the cited statutes.

Similar cases require the U.S. Attorney’s Office to allocate prosecutorial resources and the federal courts to schedule sentencings on comparable quantities.

This sentencing follows standard application of Title 21 penalties for fentanyl and methamphetamine trafficking in the Eastern District. The Department of Justice has issued parallel announcements for other defendants charged under the same statutes in Louisiana federal courts in recent years.