A Marrero man has pleaded guilty to federal charges involving drugs and illegal possession of a machine gun, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson. On August 21, 2025, Jahbrell Price, age 25, entered the plea before United States District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown.
Price faced a two-count indictment: possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance under Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(3), and possession of a machine gun in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(o) and 924(a)(2). Sentencing is scheduled for December 4, 2025.
Court documents state that on January 7, 2024, detectives from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office found Price at a motel on Westbank Expressway in Marrero while executing an Orleans Parish arrest warrant. After taking him into custody, detectives obtained a search warrant for his hotel room. Inside they discovered twenty bottles of promethazine totaling over nine liters, $1,375 in cash, and a Glock Model 45 handgun fitted with an external machine gun conversion device.
If convicted on both counts, Price could face up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine for the drug charge as well as up to ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the firearm charge. He also faces mandatory special assessment fees totaling $200 and up to three years of supervised release on the firearm charge.
The prosecution falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which coordinates law enforcement efforts with community groups to address violent crime and gun violence. The Department launched an updated strategy for PSN in May 2021 aimed at building trust within communities and focusing enforcement priorities.
“Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson praised the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.” The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mary Katherine Kaufman of the General Crimes Unit.
