New Orleans Man Sentenced for Cocaine Distribution and Possession Conspiracy

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - DAVID HESTER ("HESTER"), age 35, a resident of New Orleans, was sentenced on October 16, 2024 after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute and, possess with intent to distribute, five hundred grams or more of cocaine hydrochloride, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), and 846. HESTER was sentenced to eighty-eight (88) months imprisonment, four (4) years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.

According to court documents, HESTER, and other co-conspirators, are responsible for the distribution of multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine, fentanyl, and heroin within the Eastern District of Louisiana.

During the investigation, law enforcement, led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, seized seventy- one (71) kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride, twelve (12) kilograms of fentanyl, four and a half (4.5) kilograms of heroin, and nearly $1,200,000.00 in U.S. Currency and other seized property.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

This investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration - New Orleans Field Division Office and was assisted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Border Patrol, the Gretna Major Crimes Task Force, the Kenner Police Department, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office, the St. John's Parish Sheriff's Office, the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office, and the New Orleans Police Department. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Lynn E. Schiffman of the Narcotics Unit.