LAFAYETTE — An Abbeville man has been sent back to prison on a drug charge.
Raymond Hawthorne, Jr. , 48 of Abbeville, Louisiana was sentenced to 57 months in prision followed by 3 years supervised release for distribution of fentanyl.
Hawthorne was previously convicted in 2002 of conspiracy to distribute cocaine base and was on federal supervised release at the time of his arrest.
In 2019, Law enforcement working undercover made arrangements to purchase fentanyl from Hawthorne. His co-defendant provided the purchaser with approximately 25 grams of a mixture containing fentanyl in exchange for cash. Following the transaction, law enforcement officers observed the co-defendant drove to meet Hawthorne and provided him with the money for the drug transaction.
Hawthorne pled guilty to the charge on November 4, 2021. U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced U.S. District Judge Jay C. Zainey sentenced Hawthorne to 57 months in prison, followed by 3 years supervised release, for the distribution of fentanyl.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Vermilion Parish Sheriff's Office and was prosecuted by Asst. U.S. Attorney Daniel J. Vermaelen.
