LAPLACE — U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser, appointed by the president to represent the Eastern District of Louisiana, has had a hand in prosecuting St. John Parish cases.

Eight locals tied to a fraudulent prescription drug ring recently received federal convictions, with sentencing to follow in June and July.

Meanwhile, St. John resident Troy Kendrick Jr. faced federal prosecution on narcotics distributions and firearms offenses, and LaPlace resident Kendra Graves is facing a federal prison sentence for pocketing $200,000 in falsified student loans.

Strasser addressed members of the St. John Parish Business Association Wednesday night in LaPlace to discuss his office’s areas of greatest concern: violent crime, the opioid crisis, immigration and national security.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office is not a substitute for the local District Attorney’s Office, according to Strasser.

“If there are one-on-one shootings, that’s usually handled by the local police. It’s handled by a sheriff and the local district attorney,” Strasser said. “When you start to see patterns by one person, usually more than one person in some sort of gang or association, then the FBI gets involved. We get involved, and we go after cases that involve organized street gangs and criminal enterprises.”

Though violent crimes and narcotics have their own dedicated units, Strasser said the two often overlap.

“I can tell you, where drugs are, crime follows,” Strasser said. “The two go hand-in-hand. It’s very difficult to engage in illegal business without protecting yourself, because you obviously can’t go to the police for protection, so guns follow.”

Strasser believes the nationwide drug problem is heightened, in part, by overprescribing medicine.

Whether medication obtained through legal or illegal means, Strasser said there is no denying the country’s drug problem with an average of 144 deaths by overdose occurring each day.

Strasser is seeing an increase of dangerous drugs, including fentanyl that is 100 times more potent and therefore much more lethal than heroin.

According to Strasser, the synthetic opioid carfentanil is 100 times stronger than fentanyl, and a single grain is enough to kill.

Dealers can face a minimum of 20 years in prison if an overdose death occurs, or life in prison if the dealer is a convicted felon.

Sheriff Mike Tregre said combatting the illegal drug trade in St. John Parish is a continuous battle.

“Our strong partnership with the U.S. attorney’s office has allowed us the ability to continue our fight against violent crime and the illegal drug trade in St. John Parish by increasing federal prosecution on our worst offenders,” Tregre said.

“This not only increases the effectiveness of our ability to keep repeat offenders off the streets but also has a psychological effect on those wanting to commit crimes, knowing that their crimes may be brought to the federal level.”

Immigration and hiring of illegal aliens by New Orleans-area businesses has been another concern, according to Strasser. While prosecution of financial crimes is on the decline, Strasser is paying special attention to national security.