A Covington man has entered a guilty plea on charges involving the distribution of a significant quantity of fentanyl. Jaylon Carter, 24, of Covington, Louisiana, pled guilty on May 15 to an indictment charging him with three counts of distribution of forty grams or more of a substance containing fentanyl, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson via a press release.
Based on court documents, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office (TPSO) began to fastidiously gather evidence against Carter in January 2024, after being tipped off about his activities. Detectives verified that Carter was residing in the apartment complex from which he was allegedly selling the "M30 blue pills" and conducted three controlled purchases of the fentanyl pills directly from Carter at this location, as mentioned on the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The gravity of the offenses means Carter is now facing severe penalties. Under federal statutes, the minimum sentence for his crime is five years imprisonment, but he could serve up to forty years. Additional punishments include a fine that could reach a staggering $5 million, a mandatory special assessment fee of $300, and at least four years of supervised release after serving his time in prison.
The case against Carter was a collaboration between the Department of Homeland Security Investigations and the local sheriff's office. Assistant United States Attorney André Jones of the Narcotics Unit is tasked to vigorously prosecute the case.
