David Scott was sentenced on April 23 to 60 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.
Scott's sentencing follows his arrest on August 3, 2023, when New Orleans Police Department officers observed him at the East Side Cash and Carry gas station during surveillance prompted by increased reports of crime at that location. Officers identified Scott as the individual wearing a black hoodie with a noticeable bulge in his waistband. Upon approaching the vehicle where Scott was seated and ordering him out, police saw a handgun equipped with a drum magazine containing 23 live rounds on the driver's side. Officers secured the weapon and arrested Scott.
A search incident to arrest uncovered 15 packs of Tapentadol totaling 148 pills as well as $1,315 in cash.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, described as a nationwide initiative aimed at countering illegal immigration, eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protecting communities from violent crime perpetrators. The operation coordinates resources from the Department of Justice's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and New Orleans Police Department investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Dawkins from the Violent Crime Unit is prosecuting.
