Darnell Doucet, 27, was sentenced on August 28, 2025, by U.S. District Judge Carl J. Barbier to 106 months in prison and four years of supervised release for federal drug trafficking and weapons violations. Doucet was also ordered to pay a $400 mandatory special assessment fee after pleading guilty to several charges.
The charges included conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute tapentadol; possession with intent to distribute cocaine, tapentadol, and marijuana; possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Court documents state that Doucet was observed selling narcotics through his Instagram account during the fall of 2024. On September 24, 2024, law enforcement executed a search warrant at his residence. Officers recovered cocaine, marijuana, tapentadol pills, digital scales, baggies, over $20,000 in cash, and four loaded firearms with extended magazines: a Zastava Model ZPAP92 semi-automatic pistol (7.62 caliber), a Palmetto State Armory Model PA-15 multi-caliber semi-automatic pistol, a Glock Model 27 (.40 caliber), and a Glock Model 48 (nine-millimeter).
“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. 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.”
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney David Berman from the Violent Crime Unit prosecuted the case.
