Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

BATON ROUGE, LA – United States Attorney Brandon J. Fremin announced that U.S. District Judge John W. deGravelles sentenced Derrick Gallien, age 36, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to 180 months in federal prison following his convictions for possession with the intent to distribute heroin and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Gallien’s federal prison sentence will be served consecutive to any term of imprisonment imposed for numerous firearm and drug trafficking charges currently pending in Louisiana state courts. The Court further sentenced Gallien to serve three years of supervised release following his term of imprisonment and ordered that the recovered firearm and other contraband be forfeited.

According to admissions made as part of his guilty plea, on January 5, 2018, East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office detectives went to a Courtyard Marriott hotel located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to execute an arrest warrant for Gallien issued during a separate investigation. In response to a knock on the door, Gallien opened the hotel room door and was arrested by the detectives. Detectives also recovered a distribution quantity of heroin, a loaded gun, Gallien’s ID card, cash, a digital scale, empty syringes, three cell phones, and a bottle of powder used to “cut” drugs, on top of and inside of a nightstand inside of Gallien’s hotel room. During a subsequent interview, Gallien that the gun and drugs found inside of his hotel room belonged to him.

Prior to announcing the sentence, District Judge deGravelles noted that Gallien was a career offender whose instant conviction follows ten prior convictions for various offenses, including convictions for serious offenses, twelve adult arrests, and six pending criminal cases, one for which Gallien was arrested while in federal custody.
U.S. Attorney Brandon Fremin stated, “Our office takes seriously the issue of guns in the hands of career criminals. We will continue to work tirelessly with our federal, state and local partners to protect our district from chronic offenders. I want to thank our prosecutors, the ATF, and the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office for their work on this case.”

“In our commitment to disrupt violent gun crime in our community, ATF in this joint effort, will continue to focus on career criminals, like Derrick Gallien, who possessed a firearm in conjunction with narcotics violations,” said ATF New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Kurt Thielhorn. “Reducing firearm related crimes and keeping our community safe is the top priority for ATF.”

“The East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office is grateful for the partnership we have with the U.S. Attorney and his dedication to prosecuting these cases on the federal level,” Sheriff Sid Gautreaux said. “We will continue to dedicate our personnel and resources to initiatives that ensure the safety of our community.”

This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with critical assistance from the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Demetrius Sumner.

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