New Orleans Felon Guilty of Fentanyl and Cocaine Trafficking and Illegal Possession of Firearm

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA –DERRICK SERIGNET (“SERIGNET”) , age 44, pleaded guilty on August 6, 2026 before U.S. District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C), and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8), announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle. According to court documents, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) was surveilling SERIGNET after receiving information that SERIGNET was selling narcotics in the Central City area of New Orleans. On February 4, 2026, FBI special agents and New Orleans Police Department officers conducted a traffic stop on SERIGNET . SERIGNET had a loaded Glock Model 43x, 9mm caliber pistol in one pocket, and over 50 baggies of fentanyl and 50 baggies of cocaine, that he intended to distribute, in his other pocket. SERIGNET is prohibited from possessing a firearm because of a prior felony conviction for attempted armed robbery. As to his drug-trafficking conviction, SERIGNET 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 being a felon in possession of a firearm, SERIGNET faces up to 15 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 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. 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. ***