New Orleans Man Sentenced for Drug and Firearms Offenses
Published 11:41 am Sunday, December 5, 2021
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on November 4, 2021, JERMAINE COOPER, age 29, of New Orleans, was sentenced by United States District Judge Mary Ann Vial Lemmon after previously pleading guilty to drug and firearms offenses.
Specifically, COOPER previously pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 1 kilogram or more of heroin, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), and 846, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(i).
According to court records, COOPER and others conspired to distribute heroin in the New Orleans metropolitan area and elsewhere. Additionally, COOPER possessed four firearms in furtherance of his drug trafficking crimes, including a Smith and Wesson nine-millimeter pistol, a Glock Model 27 nine-millimeter pistol, an HK nine-millimeter pistol, and a Glock Model 19X nine-millimeter firearm.
Judge Lemmon sentenced COOPER to a term of imprisonment of 126 months, 5 years of supervised release and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems 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 partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New Orleans Police Department and Kenner Police Department in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan L. Shih is in charge of the prosecution.