New Orleans Man Sentenced for Multiple Federal Offenses Related to Drugs, Firearm, and Possessing Car Stolen from Norfolk Southern Railyard Publisher: U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Louisiana Byline: Shane Jones Dateline: New Orleans, Louisiana Date: 12 March 2024 Subjects: American Government , Crime Topic: Ford Explorer

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA- NORMAN ANDREWS, age 24, a resident of New Orleans, was sentenced on March 5, 2024 by U.S. District Judge Jay C. Zainey, after previously pleading guilty to charges in a multi-count indictment.

ANDREWS was sentenced to 78 months imprisonment, followed by 5 years of supervised release, and a $300 mandatory special assessment fee for his convictions for possession of a car stolen from the Norfolk Southern Railyard, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 659; possession with intent to distribute tapentadol and marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C), and 841(b)(1)(D); and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i).

According to court documents, ANDREWS was arrested, following a brief chase, on February 11, 2023 in the French Quarter by a New Orleans Police Department officer. When ANDREWS was finally apprehended, he possessed a Glock Model 19x firearm with a loaded, extended magazine containing 31 rounds, a black ski mask, two blister packs of tapentadol, two bags of marijuana, and over $2,000 in cash.

On March 27, 2023, a Ford Explorer Timberline was stolen from the Norfolk Southern Automotive Distribution Facility. Andrews was observed on surveillance video driving the Ford Explorer, two days after it was stolen.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, the Louisiana State Police, and the New Orleans Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit.

Shane M. Jones

Public Information Officer

United States Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Louisiana

United States Department of Justice

Updated March 12, 2024