New Orleans Man Sentenced for Violations of the Federal Controlled Substances and Gun Control Acts

NEW ORLEANS, LA - United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that CYRUS ROLLINS ("ROLLINS"), age 41, of New Orleans, was sentenced om October 2, 2024 by U.S. District Judge Wendy B. Vitter after previously pleading guilty to possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C), and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i). ROLLINS was sentenced to 97 months of imprisonment, three (3) years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $200 mandatory special assessment fee.

According to court documents, in August 2023, ROLLINS was arrested by New Orleans Police Department officers for distributing narcotics and carrying firearms in and around the Low Barrier Shelter, a homeless shelter in New Orleans. ROLLINS was found in possession of four firearms, as well as methamphetamine, crack cocaine, and fentanyl.

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.

U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department in investigating this matter. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Greg Kennedy of the Violent Crimes Unit.