A New Orleans man, Mervyn Lucas, aged 33, has entered a guilty plea to several charges including federal drug and weapons violations, according to documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice. On Thursday, Lucas made his plea before U.S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon, admitting to possession with intent to distribute marijuana, in addition to being involved in a stolen vehicle case and firearms charges.
The case unfolded after a stolen Ford F-150 Raptor was traced to Lucas's residence. Law enforcement discovered the vehicle, which had originated from the Norfolk Southern Railyard, sporting a fraudulent temporary license plate. Inside Lucas's home, authorities recovered over 10 pounds of vacuum-sealed marijuana and a Romarm/Cugir Model Micro Draco firearm equipped with over 40 rounds of ammunition, the Justice Department reported.
The conviction for possession with intent to distribute marijuana could lead to up to five years in prison for Lucas, with a mandatory minimum of two years of supervised release. The firearm possession, linked to the drug trafficking crime, carries a stiffer mandatory minimum sentence of five years, possibly extending to life in prison. This sentence is required to run consecutively to other sentences, if any, and may include up to three years of supervised release. For the possession of the stolen vehicle, Lucas could face an additional 10 years behind bars. Each charge potentially comes with a fine of up to $250,000 and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
The efforts to apprehend Lucas were part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative, aimed at reducing violent crime and bolstering the safety of communities nationwide. The case, a collaboration between Homeland Security Investigations and the Louisiana State Police, is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit, according to the same press release.
