Louisiana Felon Sentenced to More than 7 Years After Being Found with a Firearm and Drugs During a Traffic Stop

Louisiana – A Louisiana man has been charged and sentenced to prison for possessing controlled narcotics with the intent to distribute them, using a firearm in the commission of a drug trafficking felony, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and illegally possessing a firearm.

On Friday, January 13, 2023, the Department of Justice U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Louisiana announced that Cuong Nguyen, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, was sentenced on January 5, 2023, by U.S. District Court Judge Barry W. Ashe to ninety-three months (7 years, 9 months) of incarceration after pleading guilty to a four-count indictment. Judge Ashe ordered that Nguyen be placed on supervised release for a term of three (3) years following his release from imprisonment. Nguyen was also ordered to pay a total mandatory special assessment fee of $400.

Count 1 charged Nguyen with possessing controlled narcotics with the purpose to distribute them, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C), and 841(b)(1) (D). Count 2 charged Nguyen with using a firearm in the commission of a drug trafficking felony, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A) (i). In Count 3, Nguyen was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a) (2). Count 4 charged Nguyen with illegally possessing a firearm in violation of Title 26, United States Code, Sections 5861(d) and 5871.

According to public records, Nguyen was a passenger in a vehicle stopped by the New Orleans Police Department on November 30, 2021, near the intersection of Poland Avenue and North Robertson Street in New Orleans. A gun and a backpack were found near Nguyen. A further search of the backpack yielded cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana. The pistol discovered beside Nguyen had a vertical foregrip, making it unlawful to possess without registration.

Because he had previously been convicted of simple robbery and possession of a Schedule 2 Controlled Dangerous Substance, Nguyen was barred from having the firearm.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that brings all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve together to minimize violent crime and gun violence and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy to strengthen PSN on May 26, 2021, based on the following core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

In this case, U.S. Attorney Evans applauded the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Louisiana State Police, and the New Orleans Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mike Trummel of the United States Attorney’s Office’s Violent Crime Unit.