Abbeville Man Convicted of Distributing Fentanyl Sentenced to Federal Prison

LAFAYETTE, La. - United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that Gabriel Hawthorne, 41, of Abbeville, Louisiana, has been sentenced for conspiring to distribute fentanyl in the Abbeville area. United States District Judge Robert R. Summerhays sentenced Hawthorne to 120 months (10 years) in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release.

Hawthorne and two co-defendants were charged in a superseding indictment with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, including fentanyl. Hawthorne went to trial on the charges and was found guilty by a federal jury on November 16, 2023 of the conspiracy charge and on one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

Information at trial showed that Hawthorne conspired with Frederick Malaki Thornton and another co-defendant, Andrea Mitchell, to distribute fentanyl in the Abbeville area. In March 2022, an individual exchanged a series of phone calls and text messages with Mitchell, and she agreed to sell heroin to that individual. She arranged the distribution of the heroin by communicating with Thornton, who was her boyfriend at the time, and Hawthorne, who was her supplier. Hawthorne owned a business, ZZ's Kitchen, in Abbeville and would use that business to store the narcotics that he, Mitchell and Thornton made arrangements to sell. Mitchell also admitted that Hawthorne would mix the fentanyl before giving it to her to sell. The suspected heroin which was sold by Mitchell and Thornton were seized and sent to the DEA Laboratory for testing and resulted a positive test for fentanyl.

Hawthorne's co-defendants Frederick Malaki Thornton and Andrea Mitchell have both pleaded guilty and will be sentenced at a later date.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John W. Nickel.

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