A Kenner woman has entered a guilty plea to charges related to the distribution and possession of fentanyl, Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced. Shawna Martin, age 56, faced her judgment day on May 8, before U.S. District Judge Barry W. Ashe, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Official court documents state that on two separate occasions, August 24 and September 6, Martin distributed fentanyl pills in amounts of 220 and 500 pills, respectively, totaling nearly 100 grams. At her September 20 arrest, the situation escalated, as authorities discovered Martin in possession of an additional 861 pills weighing in excess of 114 grams. In her guilty plea, Martin admitted to counts regarding distribution and possession with the intent to distribute this dangerous controlled substance within Louisiana's Eastern District.
With his guilty plea, Martin faces a potential 20 years behind bars and a $1 million fine for the first count of her indictment. The stakes rise higher for the second and third counts, which involve larger quantities of fentanyl; here, the mandatory minimum sentence starts at five years and could stretch up to 40 years, in addition to a possible $5 million fine. Each count also carries the potential of supervised release and is slapped with a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
As communities across the nation grapple with the ever-pervasive tentacles of opioid addiction, the gravity of Martin's conviction is underscored by the drug's deadly potency, which has contributed to an epidemic of overdoses. Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, is estimated to be 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. Martin's sentencing date has not yet been set by the court.
