New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug and Weapons Offenses and Possessing Car Stolen from Norfolk Southern Railyard Publisher: U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Louisiana Byline: Shane M. Jones Dateline: New Orleans, Louisiana Date: 30 November 2023 Subjects: American Government , Crime Topic: Ford Explorer

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – NORMAN ANDREWS, age 23, a resident of New Orleans,  pleaded guilty on November 28, 2023 before U.S. District Judge Jay C. Zainey to possession of a car stolen from the Norfolk Southern Automotive Distribution Facility, 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.

For possessing the stolen car, ANDREWS faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. For possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances, he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, up to a $1,000,000 fine, and a minimum of three years of supervised release for possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances. For possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, ANDREWS faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years up to a maximum of life imprisonment, to run consecutively to all other sentences, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to five years of supervised release. Each count also carries a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.

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, Easern District of Louisiana

United States Department of Justice

Updated November 30, 2023