ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – Three LaPlace men each face up to 40 years in prison and $5 million fines after pleading guilty in federal court to cocaine possession and distribution charges, according to a release from U.S. Attorney Jim Letten.

Derrick Johnson, 35, Clifton Nicholson, 23, and Jarvis Jackson, 50, entered their pleas before U.S. District Court Judge Lance Afick at the federal courthouse in New Orleans. Nicholson and Jackson were in court Monday, while Johnson entered his plea Thursday.

All three men pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess and possession with the intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine hydrochloride, stemming from a 2010 drug arrest in Lacombe executed by St. Tammany Parish sheriff’s deputies and FBI agents.

Court documents indicate that on or about March 31, 2010, Johnson, Nicholson and Jackson all conspired to retrieve a kilogram of cocaine from a hidden location at a residence in Lacombe so it could be resold to an unnamed individual. The unnamed individual served as a confidential source working with authorities. The three men were arrested shortly after taking possession of the illegal drugs.

In addition to the fine and jail time, Johnson, Nicholson and Jackson could also face a maximum of four years of supervised release following his sentence. Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 17.