New Orleans Man Sentenced for Federal Drug and Weapons Violations

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - HAROLD DECLOUET, age 22, a resident of New Orleans, was sentenced on July 24, 2024 by U.S. District Judge Jane T. Milazzo to 70 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, along with a $400 mandatory special assessment fee, after previously pleading guilty to two counts of distributing cocaine base, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C); possession with intent to distribute cocaine base, marijuana, and tramadol, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C), 841(b)(1)(D), and 841(b)(2); and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(i).

According to court documents, DECLOUET made two sales of cocaine base to a confidential informant for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, in February of 2022. A few months later, in May of 2022, DECLOUET was arrested with cocaine base, marijuana, tramadol pills, over $1,000 in cash, and a Glock Model 19 handgun, loaded with 31 rounds of ammunition.

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 and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit.