Leon Defelice — Instructor Profile

About Leon Defelice

Lieutenant Leon Defelice
Louisiana State Police
Criminal Interdiction Unit Statewide Coordinator

Lt. Defelice began his career with the New Iberia Police Department (NIPD) in New Iberia, Louisiana in April of 1998. He served eight years with the Department, four years in the Patrol Division, Criminal Investigations for two years, and Narcotics Investigations for the remaining two years.
After serving eight years at NIPD, in March of 2006, Lt. Defelice continued his career with the Louisiana State Police. In September of 2007, Lt. Defelice was assigned to the Criminal Interdiction Team at Troop I in Lafayette, Louisiana on Interstate 10. During his eight year assignment on the team, Lt. Defelice participated in numerous controlled deliveries across the nation stemming from large narcotics seizures on I-10 by him and his team. In 2010, he attended the Drug Interdiction Assistance Program (DIAP) Instructor course in El Paso, Texas, now renamed Motor Vehicle Criminal Interdiction (MVCI). Shortly afterward, he began traveling the nation, teaching Interdiction techniques to other State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies.
In March of 2015, Lt. Defelice transitioned out of Criminal Interdiction and into the LSP Narcotics Section. He served as a Task Force Officer (TFO) with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Lafayette Post of Duty (LPOD) from 2015 to 2021. He has initiated criminal cases as a TFO, evolving into T-III investigations, ultimately resulting in arrests and Federal Prosecution in the Western District of Louisiana.
Lt. Defelice was promoted to Sergeant in 2021, leaving the DEA Task Force, serving in the LSP Indian Gaming Unit for approximately three years. In August of 2024, he was promoted to Lieutenant, as the Statewide LSP Criminal Interdiction Coordinator. His current daily duties are to oversee nine Criminal Patrol Teams throughout the State, including his responsibilities over the Canine Section comprised of approximately 14 dogs.
Lt. Defelice has 28 years of Law Enforcement experience with an ongoing passion for Criminal Interdiction. It is his goal to share his knowledge and experiences with others in an effort to make us all better than we were yesterday!
Synopsis of seizures
Criminal Interdiction Career
(2007-2015)
• 4,635 Pounds Marijuana
• 211 Pounds Cocaine
• 1 Pound Methamphetamine
• 4,000 Lortab Pills
• ½ Gallon Promethazine syrup
• 400 Fraudulent Credit Cards
• 7 Stolen Vehicles
• 26 Vehicles modified with aftermarket compartments
• 15 Firearms
• 10 Fugitives
• $1,397,814.00 in United States Currency