Louisiana mayor accused of being a part of drug trafficking organization: Police

(This story was updated to change photos)

The mayor of a Lousiana city has been arrested for allegedly assisting in the distribution of illegal drugs, including opioids, high-grade marijuana, THC products and MDMA, police said.

Tyrin Truong, the 25-year-old mayor of Bogalusa, has been charged with conducting transactions involving proceeds from drug offenses, using someone else’s personal property (considered a “movable” under Louisiana law) without their consent and soliciting prostitutes, Lousiana State Police announced on Tuesday.

“We have zero tolerance for wrongdoing, especially, from public officials,” Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said in the police’s news release.

Paste BN contacted Truong and his office on Wednesday but has not received a response.

What is Tyrin Truong accused of?

Truong, along with six other Bogalusa residents, were subject to search and arrest warrants following an investigation done by the Louisiana State Police’s Narcotics/Violent Crime Task Force. State officials were looking into a drug trafficking organization in Bogalusa, which is a city of about 10,000 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The operation began in April 2024 and spanned several months, police said. Throughout the investigation, the task force found that members of the alleged drug trafficking organization used social media to distribute illegal substances and manage payments, according to the department.

Investigators also found that profits from the drug sales were used to buy guns, police said. Some of the firearms were given to people prohibited from legally possessing them, while others were linked to violent crimes in the Bogalusa area, the department added.

“We are going to continue to invest time and resources into helping the citizens of Bogalusa. We are not finished,” District Attorney Collin Sims said in the release.

All seven individuals allegedly a part of the drug trafficking organization, including Truong, are currently in Washington Parish Jail, inmate records show. The six others accused of participating in the organization have either drug-related distribution or transaction charges, police said.

Tyrin Truong: ‘Joy comes in the morning!’

Truong is being held on a $150,000 bond, according to inmate records. Following his arrest, the mayor posted a message on his Facebook saying, “Joy comes in the morning!”

In 2022, Truong ran as a Democratic candidate for mayor of Bogalusa, the New Orleans Advocate reported. He secured 56% of the vote and beat out incumbent Wendy O’Quin Perrette, who received just 19% of the vote, according to the outlet.

Since being elected, Truong has advocated for increased police presence on the city’s streets, which is a stance some have attributed to Bogalusa’s lowered crime rates, the New Orleans Advocate said.

“We feel like violent crime as a whole is down,” Troy Tervalon, interim acting chief of the Bogalusa Police Department, told the outlet in March 2024. “We’ve changed some things up.”