A Harvey man arrested last year after deputies found more than 50 grams of heroin hidden in a coffee maker in his girlfriend’s home pleaded guilty on Wednesday (April 27) and accepted a 25-year prison sentence.
As his trial was set to begin, Megile Carter, 36, offered to plead guilty as charged to possession with intent to distribute heroin, possession of marijuana and possession of marijuana and heroin in the presence of children.
Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office narcotics agents arrested Carter on March 3, 2015, after finding 50.7 grams of heroin while serving a search warrant at his girlfriend’s home in the 6000 block of 6th Street.
The agents found 37 baggies of heroin, packaged for street-level distribution, and two lumps of the narcotic stuffed in a sock that was hidden in a coffee maker’s filter compartment.
The heroin was within reach of the six young children who lived in the home, the detectives said. The agents also found a bag of marijuana and a marijuana cigarette in a bedroom. Carter admitted the narcotics were his, according to the arrest affidavit.
With a pool of prospective jurors waiting in an adjacent courtroom to begin jury selection, Judge June Darensburg of the 24th Judicial District Court accepted Carter’s guilty plea and sentenced him to 25 years.
Carter received two six-month sentences for the marijuana and possession of drugs in the presence of children offenses. Judge Darensburg ran the sentences concurrently.
Carter’s convictions include second-degree battery, conspiracy to distribute 200-400 grams of cocaine and first- and second-offense marijuana possession, court records show.
Assistant District Attorneys Josh Vanderhooft and Rachel Africk prosecuted the case.
