New Orleans Man Sentenced To 22 Years In Prison For Selling Heroin, Including While Incarcerated
NEW ORLEANS - Drug Enforcement (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Stephen G. Azzam and U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced that Lionel Thomas, age 30, of New Orleans, was sentenced today after previously pleading guilty to an Indictment charging him with violations of the Federal Controlled Substances Act.
A U.S. District Judge sentenced Thomas to 264 months imprisonment, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release.
According to the court records, Thomas conspired with others known and unknown to possess with the intent to distribute and to distribute one kilogram or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of heroin, a Scheduled I drug controlled substance. Thomas admitted to using the phone system while incarcerated at the Orleans Parish Prison, where all calls are recorded, to further his drug trafficking activities. Law enforcement officers also seized over $60,000 from Thomas during various stops and searches in the fall of 2013.
This case was investigated by the DEA, the Federal Bureau of (FBI), Louisiana State Police and the New Orleans Police Department.