NOLA man guilty of drug trafficking as part of Homeland Security Task Force investigation following Interstate-10 traffic stop in the Eastern District of Texas

BEAUMONT, Texas - A New Orleans man has pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking violations following a Homeland Security Task Force investigation in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

Darrell Charles Coleman, 37, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine before U.S. Magistrate Judge Zack Hawthorn on May 28, 2026.

According to information presented in court, on June 27, 2024, Coleman was stopped for speeding on Interstate-10 in Beaumont. Coleman and his passenger, Kory Jarvis Schaffer, were returning to Louisiana from Houston. A search of the vehicle revealed more than four kilograms of methamphetamine and nearly 500 grams of fentanyl, which Coleman and Schaffer possessed for redistribution to others. Schaffer, also of New Orleans, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl on May 18, 2026.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Houston comprises agents and officers from the FBI; U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations - Houston (ICE-HSI); Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI); and U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Eastern District of Texas; Jefferson County Sheriff's Office; and Beaumont Police Department with the prosecution being led by Eastern District of Texas Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan C. Lee.

Coleman and Schaffer each face a minimum of 10 years and up to life in federal prison at sentencing. The actual sentence will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.

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