Harry Banks, a 23-year-old from New Orleans, has been handed a 97-month prison sentence for his involvement in drug and firearm crimes, the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of Louisiana announced yesterday. In addition to his imprisonment, BANKS will be placed under five years of supervised release and must pay a $300 special assessment fee. His charges included conspiracy to distribute Fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, according to official court documents.
Last December, agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) observed BANKS along with two accomplices engaged in what appeared to be unlawful drug transactions. BANKS was later seen to deliberately conceal a pistol in his waistband. The New Orleans Police Department subsequently detained both BANKS and his associate, and BANKS was found in possession of 6.7 grams of Fentanyl and a Smith & Wesson pistol. The U.S. Attorney's Office reported that the sentencing took place yesterday, before U.S. District Judge Darrel James Papillion.
The case against BANKS is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a nationwide initiative aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence, making communities safer across the board. The PSN program, reinforced since May 2021, operates on principles such as building community trust, supporting violence prevention organizations, strategic enforcement, and result measurement. This collaborative strategy involves various levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve.
Law enforcement agencies including the ATF, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the New Orleans Police Department were involved in the investigation leading up to BANKS' arrest and conviction. Assistant United States Attorneys Maurice Landrieu of the Narcotics Unit and Mike Trummel of the Violent Crimes Unit were tasked with prosecuting the case, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office,
