New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Violating Federal Gun Control and Controlled Substances Acts
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – HAROLD DECLOUET (“DECLOUET”), age 22, a resident of New Orleans, pleaded guilty on March 6, 2024 before U.S. District Judge Jane T. Milazzo to four counts of federal drug and weapons violations.
DECLOUET pleaded guilty to two counts of distribution of cocaine base, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C); one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base, marijuana, and tramadol, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C), 841(b)(1)(D), and 841(b)(2); and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(i).
According to court documents, DECLOUET made two sales of cocaine base to a confidential informant for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives in February of 2022. A few months later, in May of 2022, DECLOUET was arrested with cocaine base, marijuana, tramadol pills, over $1,000 in cash, and a Glock Model 19 handgun loaded with 31 rounds of ammunition.
With respect to his convictions for distribution of cocaine and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, DECLOUET faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $1,000,000, and a minimum of three years of supervised release on each count. With respect to his conviction for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, DECLOUET faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to life in prison, which is to run consecutively to all other sentences, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to five years of supervised release. Each count also carries a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
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.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco, and Explosives and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit.
