Convicted Drug-Trafficker Guilty of Distributing Fentanyl and Methamphetamine and Committing Federal Firearms Offenses

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - SHERWIN WHITE, JR. ("WHITE"), age 30, of New Orleans, pleaded guilty on July 21, 2026, before Chief U.S. District Judge Wendy B. Vitter to nine federal drug and gun offenses, announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle. Pursuant to his plea agreement with the government, WHITE has agreed to a sentence of 25 years in prison.

WHITE pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, 400 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing fentanyl and 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(A), and 846; distribution of a quantity of fentanyl, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C); distribution of 40 grams or more of fentanyl, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(B); distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(B); 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); possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing fentanyl and a quantity of burenorphine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(A), and 841(b)(1)(E); and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(i). WHITE also admitted that he was subject to a sentencing enhancement because he has a prior conviction for distribution of heroin.

According to court documents, over the course of five transactions between November 2024 and January 2025, WHITE, and his co-conspirators, sold fentanyl, methamphetamine, and firearms to individuals he believed to be legitimate purchasers. In total, WHITE and his co-conspirators sold over 110 grams of fentanyl, over 2.5 pounds of methamphetamine, and 13 firearms to individuals he believed to be legitimate purchasers. During one of the transactions, WHITE asked the individual he believed to be legitimate purchaser if they could press WHITE's fentanyl into pills. During another, WHITE told an individual he believed to be legitimate purchaser that he was trafficking large quantities of liquid methamphetamine into New Orleans.

WHITE was arrested at his apartment on January 30, 2025. Law enforcement officers searched WHITE's apartment and recovered an additional 536 grams of fentanyl and 65 grams of methamphetamine that WHITE intended to sell, five digital scales, and three loaded firearms, including a Romarm/Cugir Model Micro Draco 7.62 caliber pistol loaded with 54 rounds of ammunition.

As to each of his convictions for possession with intent to distribute 400 grams of fentanyl and conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, 400 grams of fentanyl and 500 grams of methamphetamine, WHITE faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and up to life in prison, up to a $20,000,000 fine, and at least 10 years of supervised release up to life. As to his convictions for distributing 40 grams or more of fentanyl and 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, WHITE faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison up to life, up to a $10,000,000 fine, and at least eight years of supervised release up to life. As to his convictions for distributing a quantity of fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana, WHITE faces up to 30 years in prison, up to a $2,000,000 fine, and mandatory minimum of six years of supervised release up to life. As to his each of convictions for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug-trafficking crime, WHITE faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years up to life imprisonment, 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. Each of the nine convictions also carries a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.

Pursuant to his plea agreement with the government, WHITE will serve 25 years in prison. The Court took WHITE's plea but deferred its decision on whether to accept or reject the negotiated plea until sentencing.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. 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.

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