NEW ORLEANS — Eight area men accused of operating a drug trafficking ring in St. John the Baptist and St. Charles Parishes face numerous charges — with some suspects facing life imprisonment — according to a Superseding Indictment unsealed this week.

U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced the unsealing Wednesday that lists an array of federal narcotics and firearm violations.

The Superseding Indictment, which was returned by the grand jury May 26 and unsealed this week, charges eight defendants with conspiring to distribute controlled dangerous substances.

The indictment names the following defendants: Andre Staggers, a/k/a “Dre,” 42; Corey Session, 42; Gregory London Jr., a/k/a “Lil Gregg,” 40; Terrance Anderson, a/k/a “City,” 34; Kirk Ballard, 34; Leonard Morrison, a/k/a “Leonard London,” 33; Christopher Olavarietta, 30; and Kirkland Jerome Sterling, age 42.

Polite said the Indictment alleges the defendants conspired together, from approximately January 2015 through May 2016, to distribute heroin, cocaine and marijuana in the Eastern District of Louisiana and elsewhere. The scope of the conspiracy encompassed at least five kilograms or more of cocaine and a kilogram or more of heroin.

According to court documents, search warrants executed on Feb. 25 at two residences used by Corey Session resulted in the seizure of two AK-style rifles, approximately $10,000 in cash and a half kilogram of cocaine. A search warrant executed the same day at the residence of Andre Staggers resulted in the seizure of an AR-15 rifle, a half kilogram of heroin and over $400,000 in cash.

The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Payne and Special Assistant United States Attorney Andre Gaudin, who is assigned from the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office to the DEA HIDTA Group.