NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Following a two-day jury trial before U.S. District Judge Greg G. Guidry, BRANDON ALEXANDER (“ALEXANDER”) , age 39, of New Orleans, was found guilty on September 22, 2026 on all four counts of a superseding indictment pending against him, announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.
The jury found ALEXANDER guilty of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, heroin, and Suboxone, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C), and 841(b)(1)(E); carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i); being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8); and receiving a firearm while having a pending felony charge, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(n) and 924(a)(1)(D).
According to evidence at trial, on August 10, 2024, ALEXANDER was driving a stolen car and made an illegal turn in front of two Louisiana State Police troopers. The troopers attempted to pull ALEXANDER over, but ALEXANDER fled and led the troopers on a car chase. After about a minute, ALEXANDER pulled over and ran to a fence carrying a fully loaded Glock Model 20 firearm and a bag with heroin and Suboxone. ALEXANDER threw the drugs and gun over the fence but was stopped by the troopers before he could jump over the fence and escape. The troopers searched ALEXANDER after he was arrested and found a bag of fentanyl in one pocket and a wad of cash in the other. Messages from ALEXANDER ’s phone established that ALEXANDER was a drug dealer and a video from the phone showed ALEXANDER in possession of $90,000 in cash a few months before his arrest. ALEXANDER was prohibited from possessing a firearm because he had a prior felony conviction in Jefferson Parish and had a pending felony charge in St. Tammany for aggravated assault with a firearm.
As to his drug-trafficking conviction, ALEXANDER faces up to 20 years in prison, up to a $1,000,000 fine, and at least three years of supervised release up to life. As to his conviction for carrying a firearm during the commission of a drug-trafficking crime, ALEXANDER faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and up to life in prison, which must run consecutively to each other and any other sentence, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to five years of supervised release. As to his conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm, ALEXANDER faces up to 15 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. As to his conviction for receiving a firearm while having a pending felony charge, ALEXANDER faces up to 10 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release Each count also carries a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Louisiana State Police. Assistant United States Attorneys David Berman and Mike Trummel of the Violent Crime Unit, and Chrissy Calogero of the General Crimes Unit, tried the case and are in charge of the prosecution.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Eastern District of Louisiana — U.S. Department of Justice press release.