FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 10, 2025

DA Jason Williams Announces Major Narcotics Seizure at French Quarter Storefront “Kulture Fashion”

New Orleans, LA — Wednesday, October 8, 2025, Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams, joined by a coalition of local, state, and federal partners, announced today the successful seizure of Kulture Fashion, a French Quarter storefront that investigators have confirmed was operating as a front for a large-scale narcotics enterprise.

“This storefront, which appeared to the public as a retail fashion business, was in fact a front for a significant drug operation,” said DA Jason Williams. “The seizure you see behind me is the result of an intensive, months-long, multi-jurisdictional investigation – and it sends a clear message: we will not tolerate criminal enterprises hiding in plain sight in this city.”

The operation, executed at 311 Burgundy Street (and connected residential locations), was the product of coordinated intelligence work involving the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office, New Orleans Police Department (NOPD), Louisiana State Police (LSP), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Standing with DA Williams were:

• District C Councilmember Freddie King
• NOPD Major LeJon Roberts
• ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson
• HSI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Scott Robles
• LSP Sgt. Kate Stegall
• DA Chief of Screening Andre Gaudin
• Director of Strategic Initiatives Daniel Shanks
• Blaise D’Antoni, Bond & Asset Forfeiture Division

“This team represents the best of interagency cooperation – more than you’ve seen at any other time in this city’s history,” said Williams.

Director of Strategic Initiatives Daniel Shanks, who leads the DA’s New Orleans Data Informed Community Engagement (NODICE) program, explained how data-driven policing and statutory seizure authority are being used to dismantle criminal infrastructure.

Shanks noted that similar seizures have been executed across the city – shuttering New Image Market, 24-Hour Tire Shop, 5-Star Car Wash, London Lodge Motel and Algiers Car Wash – each formerly serving as a base of operations for organized criminal enterprises.

DA Williams credited high-quality intelligence gathering and community input for the operation’s success.

“None of this happens by accident,” said Williams. “It’s the product of smart, coordinated investigative work carried out with professionalism and precision – and it starts with community members who pick up the phone, share a tip, and help us take back our neighborhoods.”

ATF Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson echoed the importance of citizen involvement:

Homeland Security Investigations Assistant Special Agent in Charge Scott Robles added,

NOPD Major LeJon Roberts reaffirmed the department’s ongoing commitment to community safety:

LSP spokesperson Kate Stegall underscored the growing partnership between Troop NOLA and local agencies:

Councilmember Freddie King, whose district includes the seizure site, commended the operation:

“This is about true community safety,” he said. “Legitimate business owners deserve to thrive without being undermined by criminal actors using storefronts as cover for harm. If you think a business will shield you from accountability while you traffic in drugs and weapons — know this: we are watching, we are coordinating, and we will use every lawful tool available to hold you accountable.”

About the NODICE Initiative

The Neighborhood-Oriented Data-Informed Community Engagement (NODICE) initiative, launched by DA Williams, uses real-time data mapping and cross-agency coordination to proactively identify violent crime drivers and dismantle the networks behind them. The initiative has become one of the most transformative public safety efforts in the city’s history, bridging law enforcement, prosecution, and prevention efforts.

In a separate development, DA Williams confirmed that escaped inmate Derrick Groves was captured in Atlanta, Georgia, following a standoff with law enforcement at a residence in southwest Atlanta.

Groves had been on the run for nearly five months after escaping from Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office custody on May 16, 2025.

DA Williams addressed the impact of Groves escape on location during the seizure announcement, and again later joining a press conference by a multiagency coalition which included State Police, the Louisiana Attorney General, NOPD, FBI, ATF AND crime stoppers.

The District Attorney spoke passionately about the efforts he and OPDA prosecutors took to convict Groves of double murder, as well as the effect the escapee’s jailbreak had on the City of New Orleans and wider region.

“Groves’ escape represented a serious breach of public safety and a historic failure of custodial security,” said Williams. “His capture brings long-awaited calm to victims, their families, the witnesses who testified, the prosecutors who tried the case, and the citizens of New Orleans.”

DA Williams continued: “Groves’ capture means that the neighborhood he terrorized and the next of kin of the lives he took can breathe and reclaim their lives.”

DA Williams expressed gratitude to U.S. Marshal Brian Fair, the U.S. Marshals Service, and Georgia law enforcement authorities for their coordination leading to Groves’ arrest.

“We will pursue every available legal avenue to ensure that Derrick Groves answers for every crime he has committed and every consequence he has sought to avoid,” Williams concluded.

Groves will now be extradited back to Louisiana, where he will be held in Angola State Penitentiary as he faces accountability his past violent behavior as well as new charges related to his escape.

Tel: 504.822.2414

Email: communications@orleansda.com