Rashad Montague, a 33-year-old resident of New Orleans, has pleaded guilty to multiple federal drug and firearms charges. Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson confirmed the plea on June 30, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Carl J. Barbier.
Montague faced an eleven-count superseding bill of information with serious charges including conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and heroin, distribution of these drugs, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, and maintaining a drug-involved premises.
Judge Barbier has scheduled sentencing for September 25, 2025. Montague could face up to twenty years in prison and fines reaching $1 million for several counts related to drug offenses. The firearm-related charge carries potential penalties of up to twenty years imprisonment and fines up to $250,000.
The indictment revealed that Montague operated multiple residences on Harmony Street as stash houses for fentanyl and heroin trafficking over at least four months. Law enforcement apprehended him while attempting to flee during a federal search warrant execution. Firearms and fentanyl were discovered in the residence he fled from.
This case is part of Operation Big Easy, an initiative under the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN), which focused on reducing shootings and homicides in New Orleans by analyzing ballistic evidence from August 1, 2023, to January 31, 2023.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson acknowledged the efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New Orleans Police Department (NOPD), and Louisiana State Police in this investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stuart Theriot and Paul Hubbell are prosecuting the case.
The operation was supported by NIBIN's capability to link firearms from various crime scenes through ballistic evidence comparison—an essential tool for disrupting violent crime cycles involving firearms.
This case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), aimed at reducing violent crime through community collaboration with law enforcement agencies.
