Federal authorities have charged two New Orleans men accused of dealing narcotics out of their Mid-City duplex since February.
Kenneth Turner was jailed on counts of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Authorities booked Joseph Miller with distribution of controlled substances.?
Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives launched an investigation into drugs and weapons trafficking at the London Lodge Motel in the 9300 block of Airline Highway, which ultimately led to Miller and Turner's arrests. Authorities executed search and arrest warrants at the apartment in the 4700 block of Banks Street Wednesday. Both men are now in federal custody.
A confidential informant purchased fentanyl at the London Lodge?three times in February. The informant was then introduced to Miller to continue purchasing narcotics through February and March, including three purchases at the Banks street property that culminated in the sale of fentanyl and methamphetamine for more than $10,000 on March 25.
Agents monitoring Miller's cellphone records found Miller called Turner soon after each narcotics deal, and Turner was with Miller on the porch during two of them. The two also consulted with one another on pricing.?
On Wednesday, two undercover agents completed another purchase, and federal authorities executed two search warrants and a arrest warrant for Miller after the agents left.
Officers found cash from the narcotics deals, a gun inside a clothes dryer at the back of the house and another gun that authorities say Miller admitted to throwing in the backyard during the search. They also found a mixture of fentanyl and heroin with multiple Narcan sprays nearby, according to court records.
Turner was previously convicted of aggravated second degree battery and being a felon in possession of a firearm in October of 2013, prompting the charge of again being a felon in possession of a weapon.
Both Turner and Miller await arraignment in the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Louisiana. Their ages were not available in the documents.??
