Jefferson Parish Felon Indicted for Firearms Offenses and Trafficking Fentanyl and Cocaine

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA -DERRICK SERIGNET ("SERIGNET"), age 44, was indicted on February 26, 2026, for possessing fentanyl and cocaine with the intent to distribute those substances, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C); possession of a firearm in furtherance of that drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i); and being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8), announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle. The indictment was unsealed on April 6, 2026.

According to the indictment, on February 4, 2026, SERIGNET possessed fentanyl and cocaine with the intent to distribute those substances and possessed a firearm in furtherance of that drug trafficking crime. SERIGNET is prohibited from possessing a firearm because of prior convictions for attempted armed robbery in Jefferson Parish.

As to the drug-trafficking charge, SERIGNET faces up to 20 years in prison, up to a $1,000,000 fine, and at least three years of supervised release. As to the charge of possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, SERIGNET faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and up to life in prison, which must run consecutively to any other sentence, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to five years of supervised release. As to the charge of 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.

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.