New Orleans Man Guilty of Drug Trafficking and Possessing AR-15 Pistol Inside Hospital

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA –ERIC FALKINS (“FALKINS”), age 19, a resident of New Orleans, pleaded guilty on May 8, 2025, before Chief U.S. District Judge Nanette Jolivette Brown, to conspiracy to distribute, and possess with the intent to distribute, marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(D), and 846; possession with the intent to distribute marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(D); 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, FALKINS had been selling marijuana in New Orleans since at least 2023, and conspiring with others to help him sell drugs.  On January 24, 2024, FALKINS went to Touro Infirmary hospital in New Orleans to visit a patient.  FALKINS brought a backpack inside the hospital that smelled like marijuana.  Inside the backpack, were two plastic bags containing distributable quantities of marijuana; 17 sealed, pre-packaged bags of marijuana; a sealed bag of marijuana edibles; two digital scales; and a Radical Firearms Model RF-15, multi-caliber semi-automatic pistol, loaded with 29 rounds of ammunition. 

As to each of his drug trafficking convictions, FALKINS faces up to 5 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, and a minimum of two years of supervised release.  As to his conviction for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to life in prison, which must run consecutively to any other sentence, and up to five years of supervised release.  Each count also carries a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.

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.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit is in charge of the prosecution.