Two Sentenced In Conspiracy to Traffic Heroin Using Megabus

U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced that KEVIN GONZALES, age 25, of Houston, and EARL BROWN, age 32, of New Orleans, were sentenced today after having previously pled guilty to a conspiracy to distribute heroin.

U.S. District Judge Carl J. Barbier sentenced GONZALES to 57 months of incarceration, to be followed by 5 years of supervised release. BROWN was sentenced to 30 months of incarceration, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release.

Both defendants were charged in a 21-count Superseding Indictment on September 18, 2015. According to court documents, the Superseding Indictment resulted from an FBI investigation into a heroin-trafficking organization operating primarily around Loyola Avenue and Harmony Street in Central City. During the timeframe of this conspiracy, GONZALES traveled via Megabus from Houston to New Orleans, carrying half-kilogram quantities of heroin for distribution by BROWN and others in the New Orleans area.

U.S. Attorney Polite praised the work of the FBI New Orleans Gang Task Force (NOGTF), St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the New Orleans Police Department in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Brandon S. Long is in charge of the prosecution.