DEA And Federal, State, And Local Law Enforcement Partners Announce Charges In Largest Narcotics Prosecution In District History
Baton Rouge, La. - Drug Enforcement (DEA) Assistant Special Agent in Charge Brad L. Byerley and United States Attorney Brandon J. Fremin announced today that a lengthy federal investigation into an extensive drug trafficking network based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana has resulted in the return of three grand jury indictments charging forty-(41) separate individuals in more than 80 counts with narcotics and firearms-related offenses.
As discussed in more detail below, the defendants are charged with conspiring to possess and distribute methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and cocaine base, and several of the defendants are charged with possessing firearms in furtherance of their drug trafficking activities. If convicted, the defendants face significant terms of imprisonment, significant fines, restitution, and forfeiture.
The indictments are the product of a long-term investigation led by the DEA and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, as part of the Middle District Organized Crime and Drug Trafficking Task (OCDETF). The investigation has received invaluable assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & (ATF), the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Baton Rouge City Police Department, and the Louisiana State Police. Other agencies also assisted in apprehending the defendants, including the U.S. Marshal’s Service, and the Sheriffs’ Offices in Ascension, Iberville, and West Baton Rouge Parishes.
In the first case, the grand jury has charged (15) defendants. All of the defendants are residents of Louisiana, with most residing in the Baton Rouge area, with the exception of two, who are residents of Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The defendants face twenty-(28) counts, including conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine, cocaine base, and heroin; possession with the intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; distribution of cocaine and cocaine base; possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; and the unlawful use of communication facilities in facilitating the commission of the drug trafficking crimes referenced above.
In the second case, the grand jury has charged five defendants, all Baton Rouge residents. The defendants face twenty-(21) counts, including conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine base; possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine base; distribution of heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine base; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; and the unlawful use of communication facilities in facilitating the commission of the drug trafficking crimes referenced above.
In the third case, the grand jury has charged twenty-(21) defendants, all of Baton Rouge.
The Indictment includes thirty-(34) counts, including conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine base; possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine; distribution of methamphetamine; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; and the unlawful use of communication facilities in facilitating the commission of the drug trafficking crimes referenced above.
The investigation is yet another effort by the OCDETF Program, which was established in 1982 to mount a comprehensive attack against organized drug traffickers. Today, the OCDETF Program is the centerpiece of the United States Attorney General’s drug strategy to reduce the availability of drugs by disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations and money laundering organizations and related criminal enterprises. The OCDETF Program operates nationwide and combines the resources and unique expertise of numerous federal, state, and local agencies in a coordinated attack against major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations.
Parents and children are encouraged to educate themselves about the dangers of drugs by visiting DEA’s interactive websites at www.JustThinkTwice.com, www.GetSmartAboutDrugs.com and www.dea.gov.
