Baton Rouge Reporter

Corey Terrell Gardner, 33, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has been sentenced to 260 months in federal prison. The sentencing was delivered by U.S. District Judge John W. deGravelles following Gardner's convictions for conspiracy to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, as well as possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

United States Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. announced that Gardner will also serve five years of supervised release after his imprisonment. Additionally, the court ordered the forfeiture of proceeds from his drug trafficking activities along with firearms and ammunition seized by law enforcement. It was determined that Gardner operated a stash house and held a leadership role within the drug trafficking organization.

The case stemmed from an extensive investigation by the Middle District Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), targeting a drug trafficking network operating in East Baton Rouge Parish and nearby areas.

Gardner admitted that between March and September 2019, he ran a drug distribution operation in Baton Rouge involving methamphetamine, fentanyl, and heroin. Law enforcement raids on his home and other locations linked to him resulted in the seizure of over 27 ounces of methamphetamine, 2.7 ounces of heroin, 1.6 ounces of fentanyl, four firearms, and 130 rounds of ammunition—all illegally possessed by Gardner to protect himself and his illicit operations.

Previously convicted as a felon prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition, Gardner had faced similar charges in January 2018 when he was convicted for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

The investigation involved multiple agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office; Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office; and Baton Rouge City Police Department. The prosecution was led by Assistant United States Attorneys Lyman E. Thornton III and Jessica Jarreau—Deputy Chief of the Organized and Violent Crime Unit at the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

This case is part of an OCDETF operation aimed at identifying and dismantling high-level criminal organizations threatening the United States through a coordinated multi-agency approach.