New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Heroin Distribution Conspiracy Role

A New Orleans man accused of playing a key role in a heroin distribution operation has pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges, federal officials announced.

Kevin Johnson, 33, of New Orleans, pleaded guilty on April 24, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Mary Ann Vial Lemmon to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin. The crime carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

According to court documents, the Federal Bureau Investigation’s New Orleans Gang Task Force and the New Orleans Police Department investigated Johnson for his involvement in a heroin distribution operation in April 2021. The investigation revealed that Johnson conspired with at least three other individuals – Al Vernon Brown, Christopher Johnson, and Donald Myles – to distribute the deadly opioid.

On June 22, 2021, agents seized a package containing 485 grams of heroin that was mailed by Al Vernon Brown from California to New Orleans and intended for Johnson. The package was part of a larger investigation into a heroin distribution ring that had been operating in the city for months, officials said.

Johnson’s guilty plea is a major blow to the heroin distribution operation, which had been bringing large quantities of the deadly opioid into the city. The investigation was led by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation’s New Orleans Gang Task Force, with assistance from the New Orleans Police Department, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Gretna Major Crimes Task Force.

The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney J. Benjamin Myers of the Financial Crimes Unit. Johnson faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $1,000,000, at least three years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.