Source: Office of United States Attorneys
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – KENNETH TURNER (“TURNER”), age 37, was sentenced on February 5, 2025 by U.S. District Judge Lance M. Africk to 130 months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee, after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, 40 grams or more of fentanyl and 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(B).
According to court documents, TURNER’s co-defendant made five distributions of fentanyl and methamphetamine to undercover agents as well as a confidential informant with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. TURNER supplied his co-defendant with the drugs and assisted in the storage, weighing and packaging of the drugs for distribution. The total scope of the conspiracy exceeded 420 grams of fentanyl and 370 grams of methamphetamine. When TURNER was arrested, he had more than $15,000 cash in his personal possession.
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 violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit is in charge of the prosecution.