BATON ROUGE, LA - United States Attorney Walt Green announced today that DARYL D. WALKER, age 42, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute heroin in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 841, and possession of a sawed-off shotgun in violation of Title 26, United States Code, Section 5861(d), as contained in a Superseding Bill of Information filed in early March.
During a March 29, 2016, hearing, WALKER entered his pleas in Court before Chief U.S. District Judge Brian A. Jackson. According to the stipulated factual basis that was presented to the Court in connection with WALKER’S guilty pleas on March 22, 2015, WALKER obtained 6,000 heroin pills in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. WALKER admitted that he took possession of the heroin pills with the intent to distribute them. WALKER was identified as a potential heroin dealer as part of a substantial heroin-trafficking and money laundering conspiracy investigation conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Tactical Diversion Squad, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, with assistance from the Louisiana State Police, East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office, Iberville Parish Sheriff’s Office, Baton Rouge Police Department, and the Plaquemine Police Department. DEA aerial surveillance confirmed the delivery of the heroin to WALKER by Aaron Lambert, a co-defendant in the case. In addition to the heroin plea, WALKER also admitted that, at the time of his arrest on Nov. 24, 2015, he possessed a sawed-off shotgun in his Baton Rouge residence.
As a result of his pleas, WALKER is facing a sentence that includes, among other things, a term of up to 50 years imprisonment. At the conclusion of the plea hearing, the Court accepted WALKER’s guilty pleas and remanded him to the custody of the United States Marshal. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for August 4, 2016.
U.S. Attorney Green stated: “My office, together with our federal, state, and local partners, will continue efforts to eliminate drug trafficking and the significant harmful effects on our community resulting from heroin distribution and use. I greatly appreciate the hardworking team of federal, state, parish, and city law enforcement agencies that allowed for the successful identification, arrest, and conviction of a heroin dealer."
Eric L. Watson, the Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge of the New Orleans Field Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration stated: “The collaborative efforts of several law enforcement agencies have been successful in dismantling this drug trafficking organization." These drug trafficking organizations continue to spread poison in our communities making our schools, churches and neighborhoods unsafe. The DEA will continue to attack these organizations using all conventional and unconventional methods to improve our quality of life.
This matter is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Louisiana and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Paul L. Pugliese.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
