DEA Probe Results in Guilty Pleas of Nine Members of Louisiana Street Gang
A two-year investigation led by Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents resulted in the arrest and guilty pleas of nine members of the Jungle Life Mafia street gang on a variety of drug and weapons-related charges.
The gang operated in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, which is about 60 miles northwest of New Orleans. Prosecutors say they were responsible for putting drugs on the streets, including fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and marijuana.
The investigation started in 2019 and eventually led to the seizure of illegal drugs, nearly $600,000 in illegal proceeds, and ten illegal firearms.
The suspects pled guilty to a variety of charges, including conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, conspiracy to distribute heroin, distribution of methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute, possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes, possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, and other charges.
Two of the suspects have already been sentenced. The others are scheduled for sentencing in April and June and face a minimum of five years in prison.
The prosecution is part of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ’s) Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), which aims to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the “highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States.” It uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
The case is also part of DOJ’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to identify the most pressing violent crime problems and develop solutions.
The DEA was assisted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) New Orleans field division, the U.S. Marshals Service, 21st Judicial District Attorney’s Office, St. Tammany Parish District Attorney’s Office, as well as Louisiana local law enforcement.