NEW ORLEANS –DARREN HULBERT, SR., age 54, of New Orleans, Louisiana, was sentenced on September 10, 2026, by United States Judge Carl Barbier, to 120 months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release, after he previously pled guilty to violations of the Federal Controlled Substances Act and the Federal Gun Control Act, announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle.
HULBERT previously pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute at least 40 grams of fentanyl, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), and 846. HULBERT also pled guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, cocaine base, and fentanyl, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C) and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime in violation of Title 18, U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(i).
The Court also imposed a mandatory $100 special assessment fee per count.
According to court documents, HULBERT conspired with others to distribute at least 40 grams of fentanyl in the Eastern District of Louisiana. On May 4, 2023, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) searched HULBERT’S residence and seized approximately 82.4 grams of cocaine base, 69.9 grams of cocaine, 7.89 grams of fentanyl, 7.36 grams of methamphetamine, and marijuana. Law enforcement also seized three firearms, including: a Smith and Wesson Model 6906 9mm pistol, a Springfield XD-S, .45 caliber handgun, and a Century Arms AK Style Rifle.
United States Attorney David I. Courcelle praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Louisiana State Police. Assistant United States Attorneys Rachal Cassagne and André Jones are in charge of the prosecution.
This prosecution 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 New Orleans comprises agents and officers from the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana. * * *