Wildlife agents of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries arrested 12 boaters statewide for alleged driving or operating a vessel while intoxicated (DWI) during the annual Operation Dry Water Weekend from July 1-3. It matches the total arrested in 2022 for the same weekend.
Arrests occurred on nearby Lake Claiborne, the Ouachita River, Red River, Toledo Bend, and other Louisiana waters.
In Louisiana, a DWI on the water carries the same penalties and fines as on the road and includes jail time, fines up to $1,000 and loss of driving and boat operating privileges. Anyone cited for a DWI on the water or on the road will lose his or her driver’s license and boating privileges for the specified time ordered by the judge in the case.
Also, each offense of operating a vehicle or vessel while intoxicated counts toward the total number of DWI crimes whether they happened on the water or road.
Operation Dry Water was started in 2009 and is a joint program involving Wildlife & Fisheries, the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators, and the U.S. Coast Guard. More information is available at operationdrywater.org.
