Frederick Turner, a 51-year-old man residing in Harvey, Louisiana was given a punishment of 151 months in prison, 3 years of probation, and an obligatory fee of $200 on September 14, 2023. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan, according to U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
Turner had earlier pleaded guilty to participating in a scheme to distribute and possess with the intention of distributing a quantity of cocaine hydrochloride and crack cocaine, which is a violation of Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C), and 846 of the United States Code, Title 21. He also confessed to being a convicted felon in illegal possession of a firearm, violating Section 922(g)(1) of the United States Code, Title 18.
Court records indicate that a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration investigation identified Turner as a key figure in a drug distribution network that spanned from June 8, 2020, to June 5, 2021, and involved multiple accomplices. It was revealed that Turner regularly supplied quantities of cocaine and crack cocaine as part of this scheme. Furthermore, in a search conducted at Turner's dwelling, authorities seized an unlawfully possessed shotgun belonging to him.
The trial is a component of a wide-ranging inquiry conducted by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF is a combined effort of federal, state, and local law enforcement to battle drug trafficking. It acts as the main mechanism in the US for impeding and disassembling significant drug trafficking operations. It targets both national and regional level drug trafficking groups, coordinating requisite law enforcement units and resources to interrupt, and dismantle these criminal enterprises, and confiscate their assets.
The given instance is an aspect of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program designed to combine all tiers of law enforcement and the communities they serve to lower the occurrence of violent crime and gun-related violence, thereby enhancing the safety of our localities. On May 26, 2021, the Department initiated a strategy for the reduction of violent crimes which bolsters PSN, centering on essential tenets such as fostering trust and authenticity within our communities, backing community-centric organizations that work towards violence prevention, establishing targeted and strategic enforcement priorities, and evaluating the outcomes.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Plaquemines Parish Sheriff's Office conducted the investigation for this case. The narcotics unit's Assistant United States Attorney, J. Benjamin Myers, managed the prosecution.