New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl and Firearm Charges
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on October 31, 2023, Harry Banks, age 21, of New Orleans, plead guilty to Counts 1, 2, and 3 of a superseding indictment.
For Count 1, Banks faces up to (20) twenty years in prison, a fine of up to $1,000,000, at least (3) three years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00. Count 2 charged Banks with conspiring to possess firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking activity, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(o). Count 3 charged Banks with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i).
According to public records, on December 6, 2022, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) Agents were conducting surveillance of the 1900 block of Frenchmen Street in New Orleans, in an unrelated investigation and saw an individual, later identified as Jerome Shaquille Wilson. Wilson was driving a white Dodge Challenger with one passenger, who was later identified as Gerroy Toca. Agents subsequently saw Toca Wilson, and Banks engaged in apparent illegal narcotics transactions, while in possession of firearms.
Banks was found in possession of approximately 6.7 grams of suspected fentanyl and a Smith & Wesson Model M&P 40 2.0M, .40 caliber pistol, both of which were concealed in his waistband. By pleading guilty, Banks admitted that he and his co-defendants were selling illegal drugs, which later tested positive for fentanyl and were armed with firearms.
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 track violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the New Orleans Police Department.
Banks is set to be sentenced for his crimes. He faces a minimum of (5) five years in prison up to life in prison, to be run consecutive to all other counts, a fine of up to $250,000, up to (3) three years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.
This case is a prime example of the success of the Project Safe Neighborhoods program, which is a violent crime reduction strategy that focuses on fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities. The program also supports community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place and sets focused and strategic enforcement priorities.
Related Federal Cases
- Makayla Monique Smith, Fentanyl Trafficking, Louisiana 2021 · Texas
- Randy Fields, Fentanyl Trafficking, Louisiana 2023 · Texas
- Reynaud Kendrell Variste, Heroin Trafficking, Louisiana 2022 · Texas
- Corey Enclarde, Cocaine Trafficking, Louisiana 2022 · Texas
- Darrell Dewayne Waller, Drug Trafficking, Louisiana 2020 · Texas
Key Facts
- State: Louisiana
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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