New Orleans Man, William Stevenson, Sentenced For Role In Heroin And Cocaine Conspiracy

WILLIAM STEVENSON, age 26, a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, was sentenced today by U. S. District Judge Stanwood R. Duval, Jr., to 140 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of 1 kilogram or more of heroin and 500 grams or more of cocaine hydrochloride and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, announced U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente.   In addition to the term of imprisonment, Judge Duval imposed 5 years of supervisory release following the term of imprisonment, during which time the defendant will be under federal supervision and risks an additional term of imprisonment should he violate any terms of his supervised release. 

According to the court documents, in 2009, agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigated STEVENSON for distributing heroin in the B.W. Cooper housing development.  The investigation revealed that STEVENSON conspired with Texas residents, LANDRY GRANDISON, TROY POCHE, and CASSANDRA BATISTE to have wholesale quantities of heroin sent to New Orleans where he would cut the heroin for distribution to dealers who sold to addicts in the housing development.  STEVENSON regularly supplied heroin to at least seven lower-level distributors working in shifts at his direction. STEVENSON’s heroin was packaged in 18–20 gram bundles and physically distributed by another individual whom STEVENSON employed to cut the heroin and mule it to the distributors in the projects. 

At the conclusion of the investigation, agents with the DEA conducted searches of STEVENSON’s residences.  On December 16, 2009, DEA agents searched STEVENSON’s apartment at 3648 Loyola Drive in Kenner and found 500.9 grams of heroin and 281.4 grams of cocaine hydrochloride and drug trafficking paraphernalia.  Agents also found $77,900.00 in cash and two firearms.  At the search of STEVENSON’s New Orleans residence at 1328 Jackson Avenue, agents found 229.9 grams of heroin and 41.7 grams of cocaine hydrochloride along with drug trafficking paraphernalia and $987.00 in cash.   As part of his plea, STEVESON admitted that he distributed or that it was reasonably foreseeable to him that his co-conspirators distributed at least 3 kilograms but not more than 10 kilograms of heroin and at least 500 grams but not more than 2 kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride.

The case was investigated by DEA in collaboration with the Gulf Coast High Intensity Drug Trafficking Task Force (HIDTA) and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).  OCDETF is an important program which targets the most significant drug trafficking organizations within the United States, as well as those outside of the United States borders that impact drug trafficking within the United States.  The HIDTA Task Force is led by DEA and includes a team of dedicated investigators from the New Orleans Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms.  

Also assisting in the enforcement operations were the Louisiana State Police, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, Kenner Police Department, St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the United States Internal Revenue Service.