A New Orleans man, Lyndell Mims, 34, has pled guilty to federal charges of violating the Gun Control Act and the Controlled Substances Act. Mims, who was prohibited from possessing firearms due to a prior felony conviction, was discovered with an assortment of weapons during a traffic stop by New Orleans Police Department officers, as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
The press release describes how the police stop led to the discovery of a strong odor of marijuana from the vehicle Mims occupied, which subsequently resulted in a search warrant. Officers found a Diamondback Firearms Model DB15, a Glock Model 22, and a third gun, the latter stashed in his female passenger’s purse, Mims was immediately flagged for violating the terms of his post-conviction status, where firearms were strictly forbidden.
The search further revealed a diverse array of illegal substances, including methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, psilocyn, and marijuana, among other drugs—all primed, it would seem, for street-level distribution. Adding to the gravity of the situation, Mims' possession of firearms was deemed in furtherance of drug trafficking, which significantly compounds the severity of his transgressions by federal legal standards.
Judge Carl J. Barbier of the United States District Court has scheduled sentencing for January 30, 2025. Mims faces severe penalties that include a maximum of twenty years imprisonment with a fine that may reach $1,000,000 and at least a three-year supervised release for the drug offense. The charges associated with firearms convey a mandatory minimum of five years to a potential life sentence, plus a possible $250,000 fine, and additional years of supervised release. The prosecution unfolded under the auspices of Project Safe Neighborhoods, which has sought to clamp down on such violations in a bid to create safer communities, according to the same press release.
The case against Mims was a coordinated effort between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney David Haller, who is also the Senior Litigation Counsel and Project Safe Neighborhoods Coordinator, is handling the prosecution.
