27-Year-Old Louisiana Man Faces up to 20 Years and $750k in Fines After Pleading Guilty to Drug Trafficking and Possession of a Machine Gun
New Orleans, Louisiana – A 27-year-old man from Louisiana has pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and possession of a machine gun and faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $750,000.
On May 16, 2023, U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on May 11, 2023, Tyrrin Blunt, 27, a resident of River Ridge, Louisiana, pled guilty to a three-count indictment.
Blunt is charged in Count 1 with Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana, a violation of 21 U.S.C. 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1) (D). Blunt faces a potential term of 5 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and 2 years of supervised release. Blunt is charged in Count 2 with Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking, a violation of 18 U.S.C. 924(c)(1)(A) (i). Blunt faces a required minimum of 5 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison, all of which must run consecutively with any other term, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to 5 years of supervised release. Blunt is charged in Count 3 with Possession of a Machine Gun in violation of 18 U.S.C. 922(o) and 924(a) (2). Blunt faces a potential term of ten years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. He must also pay an obligatory special assessment cost of $100.00 for each count.
The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office got information that the odor of marijuana was frequently emanating from Blunt’s residence, according to court filings. Investigators acquired a search warrant for Blunt’s flat and conducted surveillance in the vicinity. A blue Honda Civic was spotted parked in the area in front of Blunt’s apartment by detectives. They pulled over, smelled marijuana coming from within, and found Blunt in the driver’s seat. Due to the strong odor of marijuana, detectives searched Blunt’s vehicle and discovered a skull-printed, green, and black backpack containing marijuana, a firearm, and a shoulder holster. A machine gun conversion mechanism known as a “Glock switch” was attached to the slide of the pistol. A switch of this type changes a handgun into a fully automatic machine gun with a single trigger pull.
Detectives discovered marijuana, two digital scales, five firearms, ten firearm magazines, various rounds of ammunition, and US currency during a search of Blunt’s home.
Blunt’s sentence hearing has been scheduled on August 17, 2023, by United States District Judge Carl J. Barbier.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, which is at the heart of the Department of Justice’s efforts to reduce violent crime. PSN is an evidence-based program that has been shown to reduce violent crime. PSN brings together a diverse range of stakeholders to identify the most pressing violent crime issues in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this plan, PSN focuses enforcement resources on the most violent offenders and collaborates with community-based prevention and rehabilitation initiatives to achieve long-term crime reductions.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives looked into the case. Assistant United States Attorney Brittany Reed of the Public Integrity Unit is prosecuting the case.