(NEW ORLEANS)---A Texas man has pled guilty in a New Orleans federal court case on charges he was part of a conspiracy in the Slidell area that involved cocaine and ecstasy, according to U. S. Attorney Jim Letten.

Letten reports that 42-year-old Dat Viet Tieu of Sugar Land, Texas, faces a possible maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

The case began in May, 2006, when Drug Enforcement Administration agents recovered some 50 kilograms of cocaine, more than 4,000 tablets of Ecstasy, marijuana, and firearms from a Slidell residence.

Letten says that eight suspects eventually pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy, including the Houston-based cocaine sources. He adds that the investigation indicated that Tieu was the source of the Ecstasy.

Letten says that sentencing in the case has been scheduled for Wednesday, June 10.

---