Louisiana Man Faces up to Life in Prison After Pleading Guilty to Firearms Charges, and Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine, Heroin, Fentanyl, and Methamphetamine

Louisiana – On July 14, 2022, U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that Morgan Burl III, age 42, of Houma, Louisiana, pled guilty on July 13, 2022, to conspiracy to distribute cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine.

On July 13, 2022, Burl pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, 100 grams or more of heroin, 40 grams or more of fentanyl, and 5 grams or more of methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), 841(b)(1)(C), and 846. Burl also pled guilty to one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 924(c)(1)(A) (i).

According to court documents, Burl conspired with others to sell over 500 grams of cocaine, 100 grams of heroin, 40 grams of fentanyl, and 5 grams of methamphetamine in the Eastern District of Louisiana. Furthermore, on May 30, 2019, Burl possessed nine firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, specifically (1) a Kel Tec semiautomatic pistol; (2) an AR-15.22 caliber rifle; (3) a Taurus.45 caliber pistol; (4) a.38 caliber Smith and Wesson firearm; (5) a Jimenez 9mm semiautomatic firearm; (6) a Titan.25 caliber firearm; (7) a Norinco assault rifle; (8) a Sear

Burl 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 conspiracy charge. Burl faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years in prison up to life in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, up to 5 years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100 special assessment for the firearms offense.

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.