Derrick Serignet, age 44, was indicted on Feb. 26 for possessing fentanyl and cocaine with intent to distribute, as well as firearm-related offenses, according to a statement released by U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle on Apr. 9. The indictment was unsealed on Apr. 6.
The charges against Serignet are significant because they involve both drug trafficking and firearms violations, which authorities say are often linked to violent crime in the community.
According to the indictment, Serignet allegedly possessed fentanyl and cocaine with the intent to distribute those substances on Feb. 4 and had a firearm in furtherance of that drug trafficking crime. He is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to prior convictions for attempted armed robbery in Jefferson Parish.
If convicted of the drug-trafficking charge, Serignet faces up to 20 years in prison, up to a $1 million fine, and at least three years of supervised release. The charge of possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years—up to life—which must run consecutively with any other sentence; it also includes up to a $250,000 fine and up to five years supervised release. For being a felon in possession of a firearm, he faces up to 15 years imprisonment, up to $250,000 fine, and up to three years supervised release. Each count carries an additional mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle said: "The indictment is merely an allegation and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt."
This case falls under Operation Take Back America—a nationwide Department of Justice initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration as well as eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime perpetrators through streamlined efforts from Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The Federal Bureau of Investigation along with the New Orleans Police Department investigated this case; Assistant United States Attorney David Berman is prosecuting.
