Two New Orleans residents, Yuan Buggage and Algernon Jacques, both 25, have been indicted on federal drug and firearm charges. The indictment, unsealed on August 7, 2025, alleges that the two conspired to distribute Tapentadol and marijuana and possessed firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking.
Buggage and Jacques face several counts. Count 1 charges them with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute Tapentadol, a Schedule II controlled substance, and marijuana, a Schedule I controlled substance. Count 2 accuses them of possession with intent to distribute those substances. In Count 3, they are charged with possessing firearms during a drug trafficking crime. Additionally, Buggage faces a separate charge as a felon in possession of firearms.
Court documents state that between March 31 and April 24, 2025, Buggage and Jacques conspired with others to distribute these substances. They allegedly possessed multiple firearms: a Glock Model 23 Gen 5 .40 caliber pistol; a Glock Model 43X nine-millimeter pistol; and another Glock Model 23 .40 caliber pistol.
For the conspiracy charge in Count 1 and the distribution charge in Count 2, each defendant could face up to 20 years in prison, fines up to $1 million per count, and at least three years of supervised release. The firearms charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years up to life imprisonment—served consecutively—with fines up to $250,000 and up to five years of supervised release. The felon-in-possession charge against Buggage alone carries up to fifteen years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. Each count also includes a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.
"Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson reiterated that an indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt."
Simpson commended the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), New Orleans Police Department, and St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office for their work on this case. Assistant United States Attorney Paul J. Hubbell from the Violent Crimes Unit is prosecuting.
The prosecution falls under Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice focused on combating illegal immigration as well as dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations through coordinated efforts such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
