New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Obtaining Kilograms of Fentanyl Analogue from China

NEW ORLEANS - U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced that CARL J. HURST, age 35, of New Orleans, pleaded guilty Friday, May 31, 2019 to one count of conspiring to distribute 100 grams or more of a fentanyl analogue and 100 grams or more of heroin.  HURST is facing a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, a maximum sentence of life, a possible fine of up to $10,000,000, and at least five years of supervised release upon his release from prison. 

According to court records, HURST conspired with others to order kilograms of acetylfentanyl, an analogue of fentanyl, from a Chinese manufacturer.  HURST admitted that he conspired to order up to 9 kilograms of the acetylfentanyl in 2014 and 2015.  HURST and his coconspirators mixed the acetylfentanyl with heroin or sold it as a standalone product in the New Orleans area. 

U.S. District Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle will sentence HURST on October 23, 2019.

This prosecution is part of an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).  OCDETF is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets. 

U.S. Attorney Strasser praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the New Orleans Police Department in investigating this matter.  Assistant United States Attorneys Brandon Long and Nicholas Moses are responsible for the prosecution.                                              

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