Louisiana Man Pleads Guilty in Drug Trafficking and Firearms Case In Connection with Heroin, Fentanyl, and Cocaine

New Orleans, Louisiana – On Thursday, December 1, 2022, U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on November 30, 2022, Sean Esprit, age 27, of New Orleans, Louisiana pleaded guilty before United States Senior District Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle to violations of the Controlled Substances Act and the Gun Control Act.

According to court records, Esprit admitted to jointly possessing with the intent to distribute over a kilogram of heroin, over 400 grams of fentanyl, and a quantity of cocaine hydrochloride, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(A), 841(b)(1)(C), 846. Esprit also admitted to jointly possessing a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(ii).

The sentencing date has been set on March 8, 2023. Esprit faces a required minimum term of 10 years imprisonment, up to life in prison, a fine of up to $10,000,000, and at least 5 years of supervised release for the drug violation. Esprit faces a mandatory minimum term of 5 years in prison, up to life in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to 5 years of supervised release on the guns offense. Each count is also subject to a $100 special assessment cost.

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.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this matter. The prosecution is led by Assistant United States Attorney David Haller.