New Orleans Man Sentenced For Distributing Fentanyl

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA -CHARVAN MORRIS ("MORRIS"), age 27, was sentenced on November 21, 2024 by U.S. District Judge Barry W. Ashe to 24 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, along with a $200 mandatory special assessment fee, after previously pleading guilty to two counts of distributing fentanyl, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C).

According to court documents, in February of 2024, MORRIS made three sales of fentanyl to a confidential informant for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives at a motel on Airline Highway. Over the three sales, MORRIS distributed more than nine ounces of fentanyl. MORRIS made one of the sales from the driver's seat of a vehicle, all while the front seat passenger was armed with an AR-style pistol.

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.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit is in charge of the prosecution.