Raceland man receives hefty sentence for dealing drugs

A Lafourche judge sentenced a Raceland man to 25 years in prison for selling cocaine.

District Judge Steven M. Miller gave Sareel Poindexter a 25-year sentence on Sept. 30 for cocaine distribution. Poindexter was convicted in August after a two-day trial.

Authorities arrested Poindexter after a two-and-a-half hour standoff in Raceland on June 9, 2014, according to a Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office press release. Poindexter, who had eight active warrants at the time of his arrest, ultimately surrendered peacefully.

Lafourche Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Richard worked on Poindexter’s case before handing it over to Assistant DA Joe Soignet, who tried the case. Richard said that Poindexter’s two-day trial is a normal amount of time for a case like this.

“That’s about usual, I would think, for a distribution of cocaine [case]. There weren’t that many witnesses, a few police officers, somebody from the crime lab and the confidential informant in this case,” Richard said.

Poindexter was accused of selling crack cocaine to an undercover informant on June 13, 2013 near Morristown Road in Raceland. According to Richard, Poindexter only sold about $50-60 worth of cocaine to the informant. She said that such a charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of at least two years, with a maximum of 30 years. She credited the long sentence to Poindexter’s previous criminal history.

“Once you get into huge amounts then the penalties are even higher than that. Distribution of any amount, no matter how small, can get you that two to 30,” Richard said. “And because he has three prior felony convictions, I believe that is why he was on the higher end of that sentencing range.”

Because of Poindexter’s previous felonies, the state could seek an even harsher sentence under Louisiana’s habitual offender law. According to Richard, a fourth felony could even result in a life sentence under the law. However, no decision has been made in Poindexter’s case yet.