A New Orleans man has admitted in federal court that he helped run a downtown drug operation that moved methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin and marijuana out of both an apartment and a storefront, according to prosecutors.
Phalanders Rashaad King, 37, pleaded guilty last Friday to six felony counts, including conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, distribution of heroin, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime and maintaining a drug-involved premises. Prosecutors say the case traces back to an undercover operation in the French Quarter that ultimately led agents to a May 2024 search of King’s Central Business District locations.
As laid out in a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Louisiana, King admitted that the conspiracy involved five grams or more of methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of a mixture containing fentanyl, along with quantities of heroin and marijuana. His plea covers six counts in all, including distribution and possession offenses and a firearms charge that carries mandatory consecutive penalties. The underlying statutes carry maximum sentences that range from five years to life in prison, plus substantial fines and supervised release…