NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – NICHOLAS WEBER, age 29, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, pled guilty on December 20, 2022, before U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(B), possessing firearms in the furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A), and possession of firearms by a convicted felon, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(1), announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to court documents, on March 29, 2022, FBI New Orleans and the New Orleans Police Department seized 143.5 grams of fentanyl, two fully loaded handguns, and $16,200 in cash from WEBER pursuant to a federal search warrant.
For possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, WEBER faces a statutory mandatory minimum sentence of five years, up to forty years imprisonment, a fine of up to $5,000,000, and at least four years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment. For possessing firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, WEBER faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years imprisonment, up to life imprisonment, to run consecutive with any other sentence, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to 5 years of supervised release. For being a felon in possession of firearms, WEBER faces up to ten years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years supervised release. For all three counts, WEBER faces payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
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.
This case was investigated by the New Orleans Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Louisiana State Police as part of NOPD’s Violent Crime Abatement Investigation Team (“VCAIT”). The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney J. Benjamin Myers.
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