Samuel Morton, known also as “Sosa,” a confirmed member of the notorious Byrd Gang of New Orleans, has been handed down a hefty prison sentence for his role in the criminal organization’s illegal activities. According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana, on July 2, Morton was sentenced for conspiracies related to racketeering, drug trafficking, and firearms offenses. The conviction amounts to 216 months of imprisonment for each count, to run concurrently, along with a subsequent five-year term of supervised release.
Operating out of what was once the Magnolia Housing Development in Central City, Morton, at the age of 27, along with Byrd Gang associates, ruthlessly managed a drug-distributing outlet. Their inventory stretched across heroin, fentanyl, crack cocaine, and marijuana. While boasting a daily cycle of drug distribution, the gang members always possessed firearms, engaged in a multiple of violent acts, usually sparked by their bitter rivalry with the Ghost Gang. Specifically, Morton itself contributed to the violence, escalating to fatalities on both sides and, regrettably, involving innocent bystanders in numerous retaliatory shootings.
These series of events and the court’s resultant sentencing tie into the broader initiative known as Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is an effort to combine resources from law enforcement at all levels and the communities they protect. The aim of PSN is not merely to enact justice but to construct a fabric of prevention, reducing the frequency of violent crime and gun violence. In its enhancement on May 26, 2021, the Justice Department has been particularly focused on building trust within communities, securing strategic law enforcement priorities, and closely monitoring outcomes…