Published March 30, 2022

Louisiana Man Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Cocaine, Faces Up to 40 Years in Prison

Louisiana – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on March 29, 2022, Andrew Payton, age 48, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, pled guilty to Count 1 of a grand jury indictment, charging him with possession with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, in violation of federal law.

These charges stem from an investigation conducted by the US Drug Enforcement Administration, the Louisiana State Police, the New Orleans Police Department, and the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office into the illegal distribution of drugs brought into both Orleans and St. Tammany Parishes from the Houston area in 2019.

Payton faces a mandatory minimum sentence of not less than five years and not more than forty years in prison, a fine of up to $5,000,000.00, at least four years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00 based on his guilty plea. Payton’s sentencing date is set for June 28, 2022.

The US Drug Enforcement Administration, the Louisiana State Police, the New Orleans Police Department, and the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office all looked into the case. The prosecution is led by Assistant United States Attorney Maurice Landrieu.

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