Kentwood Residents Indicted for Fentanyl Conspiracy and Distribution

NEW ORLEANS, LA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that MICHAEL WHITE, age 44, and JOHN WHITE, age 44, both of Kentwood, Louisiana, were charged in a recently unsealed indictment with one (1) count of Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute forty (40) grams or more of fentanyl, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 846, 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(B), and two (2) counts of Distribution of fentanyl, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(B).

According to the indictment, MICHAEL WHITE and JOHN WHITE conspired with each other and with others, to distribute fentanyl. If found guilty of any of the three counts, they face a minimum of 5 years up to a maximum of 40 years imprisonment, up to a $5,000,000 fine, and up to four years of supervised release. All three counts also carry a mandatory $100 mandatory special assessment fee.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at http://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

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

U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration-Fentanyl Overdose Response Team, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Hammond Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stuart Theriot of the Narcotics Unit.

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