Four Men from Plaquemines and Saint Tammany Parishes Indicted for Violations of the Federal Controlled Substances and Gun Control Acts

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – DWAN RILEY, age 37, CHRISTOPHER GLASS, age 45, RODERICK PARKER, age 52, residents of Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, and HERBERT RICHARDSON, age 51, a Slidell, Louisiana resident, were charged on April 28, 2023, in a sealed three-count indictment by a federal grand jury, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.

Count 1 charged RICHARDSON and RILEY with conspiracy to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, a quantity of heroin, and a quantity of cocaine in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), 841(b)(1)(C), and 846. For this offense, they face 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.

Count 1 also charged GLASS and PARKER with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute quantities of fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C), and 846. For this offense, they face up to twenty years imprisonment, a fine of up to $1,000,000, and at least three years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.

Count 2 charged RICHARDSON with possession with intent to distribute quantities of fentanyl and heroin, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C). For this offense, he faces up to twenty years imprisonment, a fine of up to $1,000,000, and at least three years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.

Count 3 charged RICHARDSON with being a felon in possession of firearms, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2).  For this offense, he faces up to ten years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years supervised release.

For each of the counts in which a defendant is charged, he faces payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.

U.S. Attorney Evans reiterated that the indictment is merely a charging document and that the guilt of the defendants must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

This case was investigated by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney J. Benjamin Myers of the Narcotics Unit.