A 54-year-old New Orleans man was convicted this week on federal drug trafficking and firearms charges after a case that began with a routine traffic stop in St. Bernard Parish and ultimately led investigators to two kilograms of cocaine, four guns, and more than $35,000 in cash. Larry Caston was found guilty at a jury trial on August 20 in New Orleans of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle announced the verdict, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The case traces back to St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's deputies who received tips from a confidential informant and an arrested subject about a drug seller known by the street name Drack, information that investigators used to identify Caston through his moniker, truck description, license plate, and address, per the same federal account.
A Traffic Stop Sets Off the Investigation
On October 1, 2024, automated license plate reader cameras alerted deputies that Caston's truck had entered St. Bernard Parish, triggering a traffic stop, the Justice Department's release states. Caston delayed pulling over and made furtive hand movements before officers found cocaine inside the vehicle, according to the same account. Hoodline previously reported on the initial drug bust that followed, which at the time also named co-suspect Latasha Young in connection with the seizure of 2.5 kilos of cocaine, firearms, and cash.
The case took a turn while Caston was locked up at the St. Bernard Parish Jail following that arrest. He placed a recorded phone call that raised law enforcement suspicions, prompting officers to seek search warrants for his home and his neighbor's home in New Orleans, the Justice Department reported. Officers who executed those warrants recovered more than two kilograms of cocaine, four firearms, and over $35,000 in cash across the two properties, per the federal account.
Federal Charges and a Contested Indictment
A federal grand jury indicted Caston on January 31, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana under case number 2:25-cr-00025, a charging document that also named co-defendant Cora Aulder on three related counts, according to PacerMonitor. U.S. District Judge William J. Crain denied Caston's pre-trial motion to suppress evidence on April 10, before presiding over the August jury trial in New Orleans, according to court records logged with GovInfo.
Caston's conviction for possession with intent to distribute cocaine falls under 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(B), which the Justice Department notes carries a mandatory statutory penalty of 5 to 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $5 million, and at least four years of supervised release. His conviction for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, charged under 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(i), requires a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years up to life imprisonment that must run consecutively to any other prison term he receives, the department's release states.
Additional Gun Charge Adds to Sentencing Exposure
Caston was also convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, a violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8) that carries up to 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release, according to the Justice Department. Taken together, the statutory penalties mean Caston faces the possibility of decades behind bars once sentencing is scheduled.
Federal prosecutors framed the conviction within Project Safe Neighborhoods, a nationwide Justice Department initiative that brings together local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to curb violent crime across the Eastern District of Louisiana. The case illustrates how parish-level policing, from license plate readers to jailhouse call monitoring, can feed directly into federal prosecutions that carry far steeper penalties than state charges alone.
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