New Orleans Resident Pleads Guilty to Drug Conspiracy

NEW ORLEANS, LA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that TONI JONES, age 33, of New Orleans, Louisiana, pleaded guilty on February 16, 2023 to a violation of the Federal Drug Control Act, Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C).

JONES’s federal conviction is for possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine base, and methamphetamine. The offense occurred on February 10, 2022 at the intersection of North Claiborne Avenue and Tupelo Street in New Orleans, Louisiana. She faces a maximum of twenty (20) years imprisonment, a fine of up to $1,000,000.00, at least three (3) years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100.00 special assessment fee.

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 Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Dustin Strauss of the Violent Crimes Unit.