Orleans Parish Resident Guilty of Drug Trafficking

NEW ORLEANS - U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle announced that STERLING PIPKINS ("PIPKINS"), age 42, of New Orleans, pleaded guilty on June 11, 2026 before U.S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon, to drug trafficking. Sentencing is set for September 10, 2026.

According to court documents, PIPKINS sold cocaine to an individual he thought was a legitimate buyer during a controlled narcotics transaction in New Orleans on July 31, 2023.

The maximum penalty for distributing cocaine is twenty years imprisonment, followed by a minimum of three years of supervised release, a fine of up to $1,000,000, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.

U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Richard R. Pickens, II of the Financial Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.

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