Man sentenced to 13 years in prison after running drug ring out of LSU Lakes mansion

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BATON ROUGE — A man convicted of running a prolific drug ring out of a mansion around the LSU Lakes has been sentenced to more than a decade in prison.

Francisco Palma was sentenced to serve a total of 13 years in prison by a federal judge on Wednesday, court records said.

Palma was initially arrested in 2019 after he was accused of buying cocaine from Mexico and selling it in Baton Rouge, New Orleans and other cities. WBRZ previously reported that agents seized more than $250,000 in illegal drug proceeds, luxury vehicles, heroin, cocaine and marijuana, as well as thirteen firearms during the investigation.

A large portion of these were kept inside the East Lakeshore Drive home's vents and inside columns, which have since been demolished.

WBRZ previously reported that Palma used $11,000 in drug money as a down payment on a Rolls-Royce. In 2014, film crews also shot a scene for "Pitch Perfect 2" at the house, though it appears there was no sign of criminal activity there at that time. Ownership of the property changed hands in December 2014 and again in 2020, after the bust.

Palma later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and heroin, possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, unlawful travel in aid of a racketeering enterprise, unlawful use of communications facilities and money laundering. Court records say that eight counts of his charges were dismissed as part of a 2023 plea deal he took.

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