Louisiana Man Indicted on 8 Counts of Federal Firearm and Drug Charges

Louisiana – Devonte Smith, 22, of New Orleans, Louisiana, was charged in an eight-count indictment on May 12, 2022, with numerous federal firearms and drug trafficking violations stemming from a March 30, 2022 shootout on the corner of Orleans and Rocheblave Streets and the subsequent search of a residence in the 1800 block of Touro Street. During the shootout, no one was killed or injured, but several houses and automobiles were damaged.

The indictment charges him as follows:

Count 1: Charge: Possession, brandishing, and discharging of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime in violation of Title 18 USC § 924(c)(1)(A).

Statutory Sentence: 10 years to life. Any sentence imposed must be served consecutive to any other sentence; a fine of up to $250,000; not more than 5 years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100.00 special assessment fee.

Count 2: Charge: Possession of a machinegun in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime in violation of Title 18 USC § 924(c)(1)(B)(ii).

Statutory Sentence: 30 years up to life. Any sentence imposed must be served consecutive to any other sentence; a fine of up to $250,000; not more than

5 years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100.00 special assessment fee.

Count 3: Charge: Illegal Possession of a machinegun in violation of Title 18 USC § 922(o).

Statutory Sentence: 0-10 years; a fine of up to $250,000; not more than 3 years

supervised release, and a mandatory $100.00 special assessment fee.

Count 4: Charge: Possession of a firearm by a felon in violation of Title 18 USC § 922(g).

Statutory Sentence: 0-10 years; a fine of up to $250,000; not more than 3 years

supervised release, and a mandatory $100.00 special assessment fee.

Count 5: Charge: Conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute a quantity of a mixture or substance containing a detectible amount of marijuana, cocaine hydrochloride, and fentanyl, in violation of Title 21 USC §§ 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C), 841(b)(1)(D).

Statutory Sentence: cocaine hyddrochloride/fentanyl: 0-20 years; not more than $1,000,000.00 in fines; at least 3 years of supervised release;

Marijuana: 0-5 years; a fine of up to $250,000; at least 2 years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100.00 special assessment fee.

Count 6: Charge: Possession with the intent to distribute a quantity of mixture or substance containing a detectible amount of marijuana, in violation of Title 21 USC §§ 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(D).

Statutory Sentence: 0-5 years; a fine of up to $250,000; at least 2 years supervised release, and a mandatory $100.00 special assessment fee.

Count 7: Charge: Maintaining a drug involved premises, in violation of Title 21 USC § 856.

Statutory Sentence: 0-20 years; a fine of up to $500,000; up to 3 years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100.00 special assessment fee.

Count 8: Charge: Possession with the intent to distribute a quantity of mixture or substance containing a detectible amount of cocaine hydrochloride and fentanyl, in violation of Title 21 USC §§ 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C).

Statutory Sentence: 0-20 years; a fine of up to $1,000,000; at least 3 years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100.00 special assessment fee.

U. S. Attorney Evans reiterated that an indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

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.

The United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (A.T.F.) and the New Orleans Police Department are investigating. Assistant United States Attorney Maurice E. Landrieu, Jr. is in charge of the prosecution.

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