New Orleans Man Sentenced For Conspiracy to Distribute Drugs and Firearms Offenses

 NEW ORLEANS –  The U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Louisiana announced that on October 20, 2020, MICHAEL HOLMES, age 40, of New Orleans, was sentenced by United States District Judge Eldon E. Fallon after previously pleading guilty to drug and firearms offenses. 

Specifically, HOLMES previously pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, 100 grams or more of heroin, and a quantity of cocaine base, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), 841(b)(1)(C), and 846; two counts of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(i), and one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C). 

According to court records, HOLMES and others conspired to distribute heroin, cocaine, and cocaine base in the New Orleans metropolitan area and elsewhere.  Moreover, HOLMES possessed a Glock 27 .40 caliber pistol and a Sig Sauer P228 9mm semi-automatic pistol in furtherance of the drug trafficking conspiracy.

In total, Judge Fallon sentenced HOLMES to 180 months of imprisonment, 5 years of supervised release, and a $400 special assessment. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration and Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter.  Assistant United States Attorneys Elizabeth Privitera and Jonathan L. Shih are in charge of the prosecution.

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.