A St. Bernard Parish resident, Abe Jyles, age 44, has pled guilty to federal gun and drug violations. On February 4, 2025, Jyles appeared before U.S. District Judge Wendy Vitter to enter his plea on three counts from a superseding bill of information.
Count 1 charges Jyles with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime under Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c). Count 2 accuses him of possessing methamphetamine, marijuana, heroin, and cocaine with intent to distribute them as per Title 21 USC § 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C). Count 3 involves being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition according to Title 18 USC § 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8).
For Count 1, Jyles faces a mandatory minimum sentence ranging from five years to life imprisonment and could be fined up to $250,000. This sentence must run consecutively with other counts. Additionally, he may receive up to five years of supervised release.
Regarding Count 2, the potential penalties include up to twenty years in prison, a fine reaching $1 million dollars, and supervised release lasting between three years to life.
Count 3 carries possible consequences of up to fifteen years imprisonment along with fines up to $250,000 and up to three years of supervised release.
Jyles is also required to pay a mandatory special assessment fee of $100 for each count charged against him.
The charges stem from an incident on February 29, 2024. During this event, Jyles was stopped by St. Bernard Sheriff's Office personnel while driving alone in his vehicle. Detecting the smell of marijuana led officers to detain him for searching the car where they discovered illegal narcotics alongside four firearms.
At that time Jyles had been serving federal supervised release due to his previous conviction for drug trafficking dating back from the year2008.
This case falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which unites law enforcement at various levels aiming towards reducing violent crime including gun violence thereby enhancing safety within communities nationwide; efforts initiated by Department launched their violent crime reduction strategy revamping PSN based upon core principles such as fostering trust within communities or supporting community-based organizations focused on preventing violence before it occurs while establishing strategic enforcement priorities followed through measured results achieved over time since May26thof2021
The investigation involved collaboration between Federal Bureau Investigation agents working closely alongside members representing St.Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office whereas Assistant United States Attorney Maurice E.Landrieu Jr.from Narcotics Unit oversees prosecutorial proceedings related thereto
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