Kentwood Residents Plead Guilty to Federal Drug Charges

NEW ORLEANS, LA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that MICHAEL WHITE, age 44, and JOHN WHITE, age 44, both of Kentwood, La., pled guilty on March 27, 2024 to a three-count indictment, charging them 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, Sections 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 in Tangipahoa Parish.  They face the same maximum sentence for all three counts to which they have pled guilty.  Specifically, they face a minimum of five years up to a maximum of forty 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 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.

United States Attorney Evans praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Agency, Fentanyl Overdose Response Team (FORT), Homeland Security (HSI), and the Hammond Police Department.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stuart Theriot of the Narcotics Unit.