Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana
A Baton Rouge man, Demarlo Brown, has been sentenced to 211 months in federal prison for drug trafficking and firearms violations. The sentencing was announced by United States Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr., with Judge John W. deGravelles presiding over the case. Brown, aged 42, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, as well as possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Following his prison term, Brown will serve five years of supervised release. Additionally, the court ordered the forfeiture of proceeds from his drug crimes along with firearms and ammunition seized during law enforcement operations.
The case stemmed from an investigation by the Middle District Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), targeting a drug network operating in East Baton Rouge Parish and nearby areas.
As part of his guilty plea admissions, Brown acknowledged that between March and September 2019 he ran a drug distribution organization in Baton Rouge distributing methamphetamine, fentanyl, and heroin. Law enforcement raids on his residence and related locations resulted in the seizure of over 27 ounces of methamphetamine, 2.7 ounces of heroin, 1.6 ounces of fentanyl, two firearms, and 38 rounds of ammunition that Brown illegally possessed for protection purposes.
Brown's criminal history includes a conviction for armed robbery in April 2024 at the 19th Judicial District Court where he received a sentence of ten years at hard labor.
The investigation involved multiple agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office; Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office; and Baton Rouge City Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Lyman E. Thornton III and Jessica Jarreau prosecuted the case.
This operation is part of OCDETF's broader mission to identify high-level criminal organizations threatening U.S security through coordinated multi-agency efforts led by prosecutors.
