Alexandria Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Fentanyl and Illegally Possessing a Firearm

ALEXANDRIA, La. - Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that Dustin O. Thompson, 36, of Alexandria, Louisiana, has pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking and firearm charges. The hearing was held before United States District Judge Dee D. Drell in Alexandria.

A federal grand jury returned an indictment on August 28, 2019 charging Thompson with two drug trafficking offenses and two additional counts involving the illegal possession of firearms. On October 4, 2021, Thompson pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

The charges in this case stem from an incident on March 12, 2018 when Thompson distributed a controlled substance to an individual in Alexandria and represented to him that the substance was heroin, when in truth and in fact, it was fentanyl. After consuming what he thought to be heroin, but in fact was fentanyl, the individual became unconscious and crashed his vehicle into the Alexandria, Louisiana Police Department. Law enforcement officers administered NARCAN in order to revive him. He was then taken to a local hospital where a NARCAN drip was administered to him for an extended period of time.

Later that day following the crash, law enforcement officers searched Thompson’s residence and found three loaded firearms, 54 grams of fentanyl, and a large sum of cash. In pleading guilty to the charges, Thompson admitted that he intended to distribute the fentanyl to other individuals.

Thompson faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the narcotics conviction and not less than 10 years for the firearm conviction. He also faces not less than three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $1,000,000. 

The FBI, ATF and Alexandria Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Seth D. Reeg and J. Aaron Crawford prosecuted the case.

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