Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

NEW ORLEANS, LA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on October 21, 2021, GEORGE JEFFERSON, age 45, a resident of New Orleans, has been charged in a four-count Indictment for possessing with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and a quantity of heroin. JEFFERSON, a convicted felon, is also charged with possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking and for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

For possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, JEFFERSON faces a minimum of five (5) years imprisonment up to a statutory maximum forty (40) years of imprisonment, a fine of up to $5,000,000, at least four (4) years of supervised release in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(B)(1)(B).  For possession with intent to distribute heroin, JEFFERSON faces up to twenty (20) years imprisonment, a fine of up to $1,000,000, at least three (3) years of supervised release in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C). JEFFERSON also faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five (5) years of imprisonment, imposed consecutively to the charged drug offenses, for possessing a Glock Model 23, .40 caliber gun, in furtherance of dealing fentanyl and heroin, in violation of Title 18, United States Code Section 924(c).  If convicted, JEFFERSON faces a $100 mandatory special assessment fee for each charge.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

U.S. Attorney Evans reiterated that the Indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the New Orleans Police Department and the FBI in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney David Howard Sinkman is in charge of the prosecution.