Louisiana Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Crimes After Taking Over Arrested Heroin Dealer’s Phone

A Louisiana man has plead guilty to multiple drug charges after he took over the phone of a man arrested for dealing heroin.

Louisiana – Jarrin Gayden, age 34, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, pled guilty on June 16, 2022 before U.S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon to a one-count superseding bill of information that charged him with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute one-hundred grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of heroin, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(B), announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.

According to court documents, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) began investigating a heroin overdose death in Metairie, Louisiana, in November 2017. After making a controlled purchase of heroin from the deceased individual’s heroin supplier, FBI agents arrested him. Gayden took over the supplier’s phone after the supplier was arrested and began selling heroin to customers who called to purchase heroin from the supplier. Agents made two controlled purchases of heroin from Gayden totaling two grams after learning of his drug activity through the supplier’s phone.

Gayden faces a minimum of five years in prison, a maximum of forty years in prison, a fine of up to $5,000,000.00, at least four years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee as a result of his plea.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney André Jones is in charge of the prosecution.