Lawrence Watkins, 26, pleaded guilty on August 21, 2025, to federal drug and weapons charges in New Orleans. The plea was entered before U.S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson.
Authorities said that on June 22, 2023, Louisiana State Police troopers and members of the FBI New Orleans Gang Task Force were conducting patrols in the Algiers area as part of efforts to address violent crime. Officers attempted to stop a suspicious Dodge Durango, which then fled and crashed into a utility pole. Watkins and other occupants left the vehicle on foot but were apprehended by law enforcement.
After Watkins was taken into custody, officers recovered his backpack containing a Century Arms Micro Draco pistol, ammunition, $1,053 in cash, drug paraphernalia, and quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana.
Watkins faces up to twenty years in prison for drug trafficking charges along with a fine of up to $1 million and at least three years of supervised release. For possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years up to life in prison—served consecutively—along with fines up to $250,000 and up to five years of supervised release. Each count carries a mandatory special assessment fee of $100. Sentencing is scheduled for November 20, 2025.
“This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone,” Simpson stated. “On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.” More information about Project Safe Neighborhoods can be found at https://www.justice.gov/psn.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation New Orleans Gang Task Force and Louisiana State Police. Special Assistant United States Attorney James Ollinger and Assistant United States Attorney Mike Trummel are prosecuting the case.
