Man From Louisiana Sentenced to 10 Years for Conspiring to Distribute Cocaine, Crack, and Heroin

Louisiana – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced on April 28, 2022 that U.S. District Court Judge Wendy B. Vitter sentenced Kendrick Demourelle, age 40, a resident of Slidell, Louisiana, to 120 months of imprisonment, five years of supervised release, and $300 in mandatory special assessment fees for conspiring to distribute cocaine, crack, and heroin, and for the illegal use of phones in furtherance of drug trafficking, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(B), 843(b), and 846. Demourelle plead guilty on November 2, 2021.

According to court records, the US is attempting to forfeit approximately $120,308.00, two vehicles, and two properties purchased by Demourelle with suspected drug proceeds seized in connection with the investigation. Demourelle and four others, including Joseph Brown, Lionel Cooley, Kevin Gray, and Blake Monroe, conspired to sell illegal narcotics in New Orleans, including using a broken-down yellow school bus as a stash house in the ‘Goose’ neighborhood in New Orleans East. In February 2020, all five were charged. Lionel Cooley’s seized GMC Sierra pickup truck contained nearly two kilograms of cocaine and 430 grams of crack.

Demourelle agreed as part of his guilty plea that he was responsible for at least 5 kilograms of cocaine, 280 grams of crack, and 1.5 kilograms of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of heroin through his own conduct and the reasonably foreseeable conduct of his co-conspirators.

This prosecution is part of an investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that pose a threat to the United States.

U.S. Attorney Evans commended the Drug Enforcement Administration, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, Hammond Police Department, New Orleans Police Department, and Slidell Police Department for their efforts in investigating this case. The prosecution is led by Assistant United States Attorney David Howard Sinkman.