Federal agents and St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office deputies executed a search warrant at a duplex in the 3100 block of City Drive in Slidell at 6 a.m. Wednesday, and discovered volatile materials inside the building during the search. The find forced an evacuation of the duplex and drew bomb technicians to a residence located near Abney Elementary School. One subject is in custody and is cooperating with authorities.
The FBI New Orleans Field Office said the investigation grew out of information the St. Tammany Parish Narcotics Unit had passed along before the case escalated into a federal search warrant. In a statement posted by the Slidell Police Department on Facebook, the bureau said it was on scene alongside the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office, the Slidell Police Department, St. Tammany Parish Fire Protection District #1 and Acadian Ambulance.
Bomb Technicians Work to Render the Scene Safe
FBI and St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office bomb technicians are working to render the scene safe, according to the bureau's statement. St. Tammany's bomb squad has a history of joint clearance and tactical work with the FBI, according to retired STPSO Lt. David Maki, who commanded the unit and served with the FBI's Stabilization Unit over a 20-year career, as reported by WWL-TV. Maki, who entered the 2026 race for St. Tammany Parish Sheriff following former Sheriff Randy Smith's resignation, made the comments during his campaign in July.
School Notified Days Before New Year Begins
Abney Elementary School's principal was notified of the law enforcement activity, the FBI's statement said. The Kostmayer Avenue campus, which serves grades 1 through 5 in the St. Tammany Parish Public School System, had "Smart Start" orientation days scheduled for Thursday and Friday under the district's 2026-2027 calendar, according to Niche.
Slidell, home to an estimated 28,300 residents on the northeast shore of Lake Pontchartrain, is Louisiana's 16th most populous city, according to World Population Review. It sits within St. Tammany Parish, the state's fourth-most populous parish with roughly 279,000 residents, per USAFacts.
Investigative Tip Traces Back to Local Narcotics Unit
The case began with intelligence from the St. Tammany Parish Narcotics Unit, the same unit that led a March search warrant on St. Christopher Drive in Slidell that turned up 8.5 pounds of marijuana, cocaine, MDMA, psilocybin, eight firearms and more than $101,000 in cash. Two months later, the unit's Operation Clear Horizon sweep across Slidell led to 12 arrests and seizures of methamphetamine, fentanyl, MDMA, psilocybin and illegal firearms.
Why Volatile Materials Trigger a Hazmat Response
Clandestine drug or chemical manufacturing sites are considered high-hazard zones under federal law enforcement safety guidelines because of the risk of sudden explosion, flash fires and toxic vapor exposure, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. That risk is why the discovery inside the City Drive duplex triggered an evacuation and a bomb-squad response rather than a standard evidence collection.
Unanswered Questions in the Investigation
It is not yet known what the volatile materials found inside the duplex consisted of, whether the residence was operating as a clandestine lab, or whether the subject now in custody will face federal charges. The FBI has not released the suspect's name or any details beyond confirming the arrest and the person's cooperation with investigators.
"We would ask the public to avoid the area at this time and notifications will be made when the situation is stabilized," the FBI New Orleans Field Office said in its statement. The bureau said it remains on scene with local and parish agencies as bomb technicians continue working to secure the duplex.
