17+ Years For New Orleans Fentanyl, Heroin Importer, Trafficker
Imported Kilo Quantities of Fentanyl from China, Distributed Throughout New Orleans Area
NEW ORLEANS - A 33-year old New Orleans man was sentenced today to more than 17 years in prison after pleading guilty in August to conspiring to distribute heroin and other drugs, including acetyl fentanyl shipped from China, to New Orleans area customers, announced Stephen G. Azzam the Special Agent-in-Charge of DEA’s New Orleans Field Division and United States Attorney Kenneth A. Polite.
According to court documents, in 2014 and 2015, Leroy Smith and others engaged in a conspiracy to distribute acetyl fentanyl and heroin to over 20 different customers in the New Orleans area. Smith worked with his coconspirators to order and receive packages of acetyl fentanyl from a source in China. In April 2015, law enforcement intercepted two packages of acetyl fentanyl that were mailed from the Chinese source to associates of Smith in the New Orleans area. The packages contained a total of one-and-a-half kilograms of acetyl fentanyl, which Smith planned to package and resell as “heroin” in the New Orleans area. At the time of his arrest on July 13, 2015, Smith was in possession of heroin, drug paraphernalia, almost $3,000 and multiple loaded firearms.
This case was investigated by DEA, United States Customs and Border Protection, United States Postal Service, Louisiana State Police, New Orleans Police Department, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office, St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office, and Kenner Police Department.
