The small metropolis of Bogalusa, La. made large headlines when its 25-year-old mayor was arrested and charged in connection to an alleged drug trafficking ring. Now, Mayor Tyrin Truong is talking to the press for the primary time since his arrest two months in the past.
The Root beforehand reported a complete of seven people have been arrested in January after the Louisiana State Police Narcotics/Violent Crime Job Power started an investigation right into a drug trafficking group in 2024. Though Northshore District Legal professional Collin Sims mentioned the mayor “was not the goal of the investigation,” the investigation finally led officers proper to him.
Two months after his arrest and launch from jail, Truong spoke to the information declaring his innocence, in response to NOLA.com. “The costs usually are not true. Anyone that is aware of me, is aware of that I’m not a drug supplier,” he mentioned over the cellphone.
Of his three critical costs, the mayor can also be dealing with a solicitation cost as officers suspect he was concerned with “organized leisure with a prostitute” throughout his keep at an Atlanta Airbnb, in response to Sims. To that, Truong doubled down on his innocence: “No, I didn’t. That’s not true.”
For the Bogalusa native, these allegations towards him are simply one other instance of what occurs when Black folks make progress. “What’s not misplaced on me in American politics and Louisiana politics and Bogalusa politics is the very fact that there’s a clear sample of when minorities obtain illustration, it’s at all times attacked,” he mentioned.
In a press release, Louisiana Legal professional Normal Liz Murrill mentioned, “We have now zero tolerance for wrongdoing, particularly, from public officers.”
Truong was taken into custody Jan. 7 and charged with transactions involving proceeds from drug offenses, unauthorized use of a moveable, and asking for prostitutes, in accordance to jail information. He was launched on $150,000 bond and has since raised over $4,000 to assist with authorized charges, in response to NOLA.com and WDSU.
The opposite six suspects face costs of transactions involving proceeds from drug offenses. Three of them have been charged with conspiracy to distribute a Schedule I managed substance. One other one faces an extra cost of distribution of a Schedule II managed substance, in response to Louisiana State Police.