New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Distribution

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - CHARVAN MORRIS ("MORRIS"), age 27, of New Orleans, pleaded guilty on August 29, 2024 before U.S. District Judge Barry W. Ashe to two counts of distributing fentanyl, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C).

According to court documents, on February 16, 2024, MORRIS sold 3.26 grams of fentanyl to a confidential informant for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives at the London Lodge Motel on Airline Highway. During the transaction, MORRIS was in the driver's seat of a vehicle while the front seat passenger sat armed with a visible AR-style pistol. On February 20, 2024, MORRIS sold 5.53 grams of fentanyl to the same confidential informant at the London Lodge.

MORRIS faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $1,000,000, a minimum of three years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00 as to each count.

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. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit.