Jefferson Parish Man Pleads Guilty to Violations of the Federal Gun Control and Controlled Substances Acts

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – DARREN FLOWERS, age 25, a resident of Metairie,  pleaded guilty on January 3, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Jane T. Milazzo, to federal drug and weapons violations.

Specifically, FLOWERS pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine base and marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C), 841(b)(1)(D), and 846; possession with intent to distribute cocaine base, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C); and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i).

According to court documents, on January 6, 2022, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office (JPSO) conducted surveillance in the 500 block of N. Elm Street in Metairie.  FLOWERS was observed selling drugs, both individually and with his co-conspirators, to customers who arrived in the area. When JPSO detectives made contact with FLOWERS, he fled and discarded a loaded Ruger nine-millimeter semi-automatic handgun during the chase. When FLOWERS was apprehended, he had six rocks of cocaine base and $855 in cash in his pockets.

As to his convictions for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of controlled substances, FLOWERS faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $1,000,000, and a minimum of three years of supervised release on each count. As to his conviction for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, FLOWERS faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years up to life in prison, which is to run consecutively to all other sentences, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to five years of supervised release.  Each count also carries a mandatory $100 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 Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco, and Explosives and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit.