NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – ANTHONY MONREAL-FABELA, age 22, a resident of Houma, Louisiana, pled guilty on August 17, 2023, before Chief U.S. District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C), and 846, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.

According to court documents, MONREAL-FABELA was arrested on July 27, 2022, when he conspired with his co-defendant, Diogo Hernandez, to possess with intent to distribute twenty kilograms of cocaine that had been smuggled into the Port of New Orleans via a container ship.

MONREAL-FABELA faces up to 20 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $1,000,000, at least three years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.

This case was investigated by the United States Homeland Security Investigations, United States Customs and Border Protection and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney J. Benjamin Myers of the Narcotics Unit.