Darrell Lewis, Heroin and Firearms Trafficking, LA 2024

Darrell Lewis, a/k/a “Lil’ Darrell,” age 31, has pleaded guilty to leading a ruthless heroin and firearms operation rooted in New Orleans’ Seventh Ward. Lewis and three co-defendants—Kevin Walker, age 24; Carl Lewis, a/k/a “Curl,” age 24; and Sterling Pipkins, a/k/a “Shoe,” age 32—entered guilty pleas today in federal court, admitting their roles in a violent, gun-fueled drug conspiracy that terrorized the intersection of Frenchmen and North Villere Streets.

Darrell Lewis pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, a charge carrying a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison and a maximum of life imprisonment, a $20,000,000 fine, and at least 10 years of supervised release. Carl Lewis, Kevin Walker, and Sterling Pipkins each pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin. Due to his prior criminal history, Carl Lewis faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison, an $8,000,000 fine, and at least 8 years of supervised release. Walker and Pipkins each face 5 to 40 years in prison, a $5,000,000 fine, and no less than 4 years of supervised release.

In a twist underscoring the operation’s violent undercurrent, Darrell Lewis, Kevin Walker, and Carl Lewis also admitted to conspiracy to possess and use firearms in furtherance of a drug conspiracy. That charge brings a maximum of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to 3 years of supervised release. Court documents reveal the ring used multiple AR-pattern rifles and handguns to protect their trafficking zones and enforce street-level control.

The operation was centered at 1320 Frenchmen Street, where Darryl Lewis, a/k/a “Uncle Tom,” a/k/a “Poppa Tom,” age 62, tested heroin, stored weapons, and assisted in sales. On October 23, 2014, Major Crimes Task Force officers raided the residence, seizing an arsenal: an Armalite AR10, a Bushmaster XM15E2S, a Stag Arms AR15, a MAK90 AK47-pattern rifle, a Norinco SKS, and another SKS-pattern rifle—all 7.62x39mm variants. Darryl Lewis was initially charged in Orleans Parish court and released on bond—until federal agents moved in.

On December 12, 2014, FBI, DEA, and NOPD officers executed federal arrest warrants. At Darrell Lewis’s residence, they recovered a loaded Glock Model 27 with an extended clip. Kevin Walker was found carrying a loaded Glock 23. Darryl Lewis was arrested again at 1320/1322 Frenchmen Street, where agents found a black DPMS AR-15 rifle stashed under his bed—clear evidence of a militarized drug enterprise.

The conspiracy spilled beyond New Orleans. Darrell Lewis used a home on Robert E. Lee Boulevard to distribute heroin. Dealers Nichiren Radcliffe, a/k/a “Lil’,” a/k/a “Taneshen Grandberry,” and Conquistadore Martin, a/k/a “Melvin Moore,” a/k/a “Bob,” both bought from and supplied Darrell Lewis. Worse, Lewis, Martin, Michael McQuitty a/k/a “Rooster,” a/k/a “Fat Mac,” and Nerimane Bouchama plotted to rob a Missouri drug dealer. The plan collapsed when FBI agents intercepted Martin and Radcliffe in Columbia—proving the reach of federal law enforcement as much as the audacity of the cartel’s cross-state violence.