Terrebonne Parish Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – DIOGO HERNANDEZ, age 19, a resident of Bourg, Louisiana, pled guilty on June 15, 2023, before Chief U.S. District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C) and 846, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.

According to court documents, HERNANDEZ was arrested on July 27, 2022, when he conspired with his co-defendant, Anthony Monreal-Fabela, to take possession of twenty kilograms of cocaine that had been smuggled into the Port of New Orleans via a container ship. Monreal-Fabela and HERNANDEZ were to deliver the cocaine to a destination upon receiving further instructions.

HERNANDEZ faces up to 20 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $1,000,000, at least three years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.

This case was investigated by the United States Homeland Security Investigations, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, and United States Customs and Border Protection. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney J. Benjamin Myers of the Narcotics Unit.