Man sentenced for conspiring to distribute heroin while incarcerated at the Orleans Parish Justice Center

Published 9:25 am Wednesday, March 17, 2021

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NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that Brandon Sanders, age 30, a resident of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was sentenced on March 9, 2021 to 87 months in prison, (4) four years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment by U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan for conspiring to distribute heroin while incarcerated in the Orleans Parish Justice Center in New Orleans for firearm and drug distribution charges.

On December 8, 2020, Sanders plead guilty to a one count charge of conspiring to distribute 100 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of heroin in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), and 846. According to court documents, Sanders, while incarcerated in the Orleans Parish Justice Center on other charges, directed an associate to purchase heroin for resale from Arthur Johnson, aged 42, a resident of New Orleans. Sanders, Arthur Johnson, and other codefendants were charged in 2018 with conspiring to distribute heroin in the New Orleans and Baton Rouge areas.

U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the FBI’s New Orleans Gang Task Force in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney David Howard Sinkman is in charge of the prosecution.