Louisiana Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine, Heroin, Fentanyl, and Methamphetamine, Obstruction of Justice, and Firearms Offenses

Louisiana – On July 15, 2022, U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that Raydell Scott, age 45, of Mount Airy, Louisiana, pled guilty on June 14, 2022, to conspiracy to distribute cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine, obstruction of justice, and felon in possession of a firearm.

On July 13, 2022, Scott pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), 841(b)(1)(C), and 846, one count of obstruction of justice in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1512(c)(1), and one count of felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1).

According to court documents, Scott conspired with others in the Eastern District of Louisiana to distribute cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine. Scott attempted to destroy a quantity of heroin on April 12, 2019, but the heroin was later seized by law enforcement. Scott was also in possession of a Ruger P89 9 mm caliber firearm on May 30, 2019.

Scott faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years in prison up to 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $5,000,000, at least 4 years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee on the drug charge. Scott faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, up to three years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment fee if convicted of obstruction of justice. Finally, on the felon in possession charge, Scott faces up to ten years in prison, a $250,000 fine, up to three years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.

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 strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and collaborates with community-based prevention and reentry programs to achieve long-term crime reductions.

This prosecution is part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force’s (“OCDETF”) extensive investigation. The Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations, and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.

U.S. Attorney Evans praised the Drug Enforcement Administration’s investigation of this case. The prosecution is led by Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan L. Shih.