NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA –ROBERT POLK (“POLK”) , age 23, was indicted on February 6, 2026, for two counts of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a) and (b)(1)(C); two counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(i); two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm, and one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8); and one count of possession of a stolen firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(j) and 924(a)(2), announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.
According to the indictment, on May 20, 2024 and December 30, 2025, POLK possessed tapentadol with the intent to distribute same and possessed firearms in furtherance of that drug trafficking crime, including a firearm that POLK knew was stolen. POLK is prohibited from possessing a firearm because of prior felony convictions in Arkansas for aggravated assault on a family or household member, and terroristic threatening in the first degree.
As to each of the drug-trafficking counts, POLK faces up to 20 years in prison, up to a $1,000,000 fine, and at least three years of supervised release. As to each of the counts of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, POLK 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 each of the charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, POLK faces up to 15 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. As to the charge of possessing a stolen firearm, POLK faces up to 10 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. Each of the seven counts also carries a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle reiterated that the indictment is merely an allegation and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Eastern District of Louisiana — U.S. Department of Justice press release.