Reserve man sentenced for part in drug plot

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, December 21, 2011

By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – A Reserve man was sentenced to five years in federal prison for his role in a scheme to possess and distribute cocaine, according to a release from U.S. Attorney Jim Letten.

Derrick Johnson, 36, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Lance M. Africk. Johnson had pleaded guilty in August to two violations of the Federal Controlled Substances Act involving conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more 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, along with Clifton Nicholson and Quin Jackson, 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 who was working with authorities. The three men were arrested shortly after taking possession of the illegal drugs.

In addition to the jail time, Africk also sentenced Johnson to five years of supervised release following the prison term.