United States Attorney Duane A. Evans has announced the indictment of Rickey Smith, aged 46, for distributing forty grams or more of fentanyl. The charges were filed on January 30, 2025, in New Orleans.
Court records indicate that Smith intended to distribute the fentanyl within the Eastern District of Louisiana around December 17, 2024. If convicted, he faces a minimum prison sentence of five years and could be sentenced to up to forty years. He also faces a potential fine of up to $5 million, at least four years of supervised release following imprisonment, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
U.S. Attorney Evans emphasized that "the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt."
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the New Orleans Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lynn E. Schiffman from the Narcotics Unit is prosecuting the case.