A Tangipahoa Parish resident, Dequarius Hamler, age 38, pleaded guilty to all six counts of a superseding indictment in federal court on August 19, 2025. The charges include conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute over 500 grams of cocaine and marijuana, distribution of cocaine and methamphetamine, making false statements to the Small Business Administration (SBA), and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. Sentencing is set for December 9, 2025.
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson’s office, Hamler faces significant penalties for each count. For the drug trafficking conspiracy charge, he could receive up to forty years in prison with a mandatory minimum of five years and fines up to $5 million. Distribution charges carry up to twenty years per count and fines up to $1 million each. The methamphetamine distribution charge has a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years with the possibility of life imprisonment and fines up to $10 million. For making false statements to the SBA regarding a Paycheck Protection Program loan application during the Covid-19 pandemic, Hamler could face five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The money laundering conspiracy charge carries up to twenty years’ imprisonment or a fine as high as $500,000.
“According to court documents, in 2022, the Drug Enforcement Administration began a drug trafficking investigation into HAMLER. On three separate occasions in 2023, HAMLER sold a quantity of cocaine and over 50 grams of methamphetamine to an individual he thought was a legitimate buyer. Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement officials began to suspect HAMLER was having his girlfriend, Latijeria Martin, deposit his illegal drug trafficking proceeds into a local bank to launder this drug money as legitimate funds. Bank records and financial documents showed that between January 1, 2021, and September 9, 2023, Martin and HAMLER made numerous cash deposits totaling $454,589.10 through seven different bank accounts. Martin’s deposits to and from bank accounts operating under her name totaled $328,159.10 while deposits to and from back accounts operating under HAMLER’S name totaled $126,430. Martin made these bank deposits and withdrawals at the direction of HAMLER. Martin knew HAMLER to be a drug dealer and that his drug dealing was the source of these funds. Employees at the banks confirmed Martin visited the bank numerous times, sometimes multiple times a day, to make cash deposits and withdrawals. Oftentimes, the cash Martin deposited had the strong odor of marijuana. One bank employee informed Martin that these deposit and withdrawal actions amounted to criminal structuring and the bank would no longer allow Martin to make these deposits. Martin was also advised by another bank that her actions amounted to money laundering. Despite this warning and notice of their actions being criminal,HAMLER continued instructing Martinto continue laundering his drug proceeds through their bank accounts.The amountofcashthatMartinandHAMLERdepositedandwithdrewgreatlyexceededanylegitimateincomethattheyreportedontheirtaxreturns.MartinmadethesecashdepositsandwithdrawalstoconcealanddisguisetheirtruenatureasproceedsofHAMLER’Sillegaldrugdistribution.”
A search warrant executed at Hamler’s residence uncovered large amounts of narcotics along with financial documents supporting investigators’ suspicions about ongoing illegal activity.
“HAMLER also confessedto distributing kilogram amounts of cocaineandmarijuana overthepastdecade.”
Further investigation revealed fraudulent activity relatedto pandemic relief programs: “A reviewofHAMLER’SBANKRECORDSREVEALEDDURINGTHECOVID-19PANDEMIC,HAMLERSUBMITTEDFRAUDULENTIRSRECORDSTOTHESMALLBUSINESSADMINISTRATIONINANATTEMPTTOOBTAINAPAYCHECKPROTECTIONPROGRAMLOAN.THROUGHTHESEFRAUDULENTDOCUMENTS,HAMLERULTIMATELYOBTAINEDOVER$19KFORASMALLBUSINESSHECLAIMEDTOOPERATEBUTINFACTDIDNOTEXIST.HAMLERSHAREDMETHODWITHMARTINWITHOUTUSINGANYOFTHEITFORBUSINESSEXPENSES.”
The case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation targeting high-level criminal organizations across multiple agencies using intelligence-driven approaches; more information can be found at http://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The investigation was led by agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration with prosecution handled by Assistant United States Attorney Stuart Theriot.
