Eric Falkins, a 19-year-old from New Orleans, was sentenced to 66 months in federal prison on August 14, 2025. U.S. District Judge Nanette Jolivette Brown also ordered five years of supervised release and imposed a $300 mandatory special assessment fee. Falkins had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Court documents show that Falkins had been selling marijuana in New Orleans since at least 2023 and worked with others in the operation. On January 24, 2024, he entered Touro Infirmary hospital carrying a backpack that smelled of marijuana. Inside the bag were two plastic bags containing distributable quantities of marijuana, 17 sealed pre-packaged bags of marijuana, a sealed bag of marijuana edibles, two digital scales, and a loaded Radical Firearms Model RF-15 semi-automatic pistol.
"This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results."
The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney David Berman prosecuted the case.
