NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney David I. Courcelle announced that on September 17, 2026, PHALANDERS RASHAAD KING (“KING”), age 37, was sentenced to 87 months as to Counts One, Two, Three, Four, and Six of the superseding bill of information pending against him, and a consecutive term of 60 months as to Count Five, for a total of 147 months. Count One charged KING with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute five (5) grams or more of methamphetamine, forty (40) grams or more of a mixture of fentanyl, and quantities of heroin and marijuana, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), 841(b)(1)(C), 841(b)(1)(D) and 846. Count Two charged KING with distribution of heroin, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C). Count Three charged KING with distribution of forty (40) grams or more of fentanyl, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(B). Count Four charged KING with possession with intent to distribute five (5) grams or more of methamphetamine, and quantities of heroin and cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), and 841(b)(1)(C). Count Five charged KING with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(i). Finally, Count Six charged KING with maintaining a drug-involved premises, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 856(a)(1).

According to court documents, on August 24, 2023, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted an operation to locate fentanyl distributors in the French Quarter neighborhood of New Orleans. Through this effort, agents located KING’s co-defendants. Through 2023 and into 2024, as a part of the investigation, agents made ten purchases of fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine from KING’s co-defendants, and eventually, from KING himself. Through investigative methods, agents established that KING conspired with his co-defendant to distribute these drugs, utilizing an apartment, and a storefront, that KING maintained in the Central Business District of New Orleans. Agents executed a search warrant on those two locations in May 2024, that uncovered additional controlled substances, fourteen firearms, and over $10,000 in U.S. currency. In total, over the course of the investigation, agents recovered over 300 grams of fentanyl, and over 300 grams of methamphetamine, from members of the conspiracy.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah Dawkins and Brittany L. Reed of the Violent Crime Unit.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities. * * *