Abbeville Man Convicted of Distributing Fentanyl Sentenced to Federal Prison

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.