Five More Fentanyl Trafficking Defendants Arrested in Washington Highlands-Focused Operation

            WASHINGTON – Five alleged fentanyl traffickers have been charged as additional members of two related narcotics conspiracies charged in U.S. District Court, the result of a yearlong multiagency investigation into narcotics distribution points in the Washington Highlands neighborhood of Southeast Washington, D.C.  Three of the individuals are coconspirators newly charged in a superseding indictment alleging a conspiracy to distribute or possess with intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl, using, carrying, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, and money laundering, among other counts.  Two other men are charged by complaint as additional coconspirators of four previously-indicted defendants in a related fentanyl trafficking conspiracy case.  All five newly-arrested defendants are being held pending detention hearings.

            The charges and arrests were announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon, of Homeland Security Investigations Washington Field Office, Inspector in Charge Damon E. Wood, of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Washington Division, Acting United States Marshal Ronald Carter of the United States Marshalls Service and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            The alleged fentanyl operations were based in the Washington Highlands neighborhood in Southeast Washington, centering on Oxon Run Park and the 100 block of Yuma Street, respectively.

            Kahlil Felder, 39, of Washington D.C., was indicted Dec. 14, 2023, on fentanyl distribution charges, using, carrying, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.  Felder allegedly sold fentanyl in packaging branded with a female figure and the words “Heavy D.”

            In executing a search warrant on Felder’s residence on December 13, 2023, agents discovered over five kilograms of fentanyl powder, various tools for distribution including cutting agents, nitrile gloves, masks, and thousands of single serve baggies, and 3,300 pre-packaged baggies or “zips” of fentanyl in various sizes, indicating that the defendant used his residence as a stash house.  The search of Felder’s residence also uncovered two loaded semiautomatic pistols – a Glock 36, 45mm, and a Springfield Hellcat 9mm – one of which had been reported stolen in Maryland.

            Today, three of Felder’s alleged lieutenants were arraigned on their charges in the superseding indictment against Felder.  They include Cyrus Wheeler, 52, of Oxon Hill, Md; Carrol Edelen, 56, of Washington, D.C.; and Calvin Wright, 47, of Washington, D.C. The superseding indictment also adds 33 counts of money laundering and 19 counts of spending money laundering to the charges against Felder, reflecting a high volume of financial transactions that Felder allegedly made with illegal drug trafficking proceeds.

            Two additional defendants, Leonard Darnell Short, 40, and James Martin, 58, all of Washington D.C., were also charged by complaint in a related fentanyl trafficking conspiracy.  Each had initial appearances today in U.S. District Court.  According to charging documents, law enforcement identified Short and Martin as additional members of the narcotics conspiracy previously charged in November 2023 when a grand jury returned a 10-count indictment against defendants Alphonso Lorenzo Murray, 50, Kevin Antaun Penn, 51, Marquette Alonzo Murray, 31, and Christian Raul Simms, 27, of Washington D.C. The coconspirators allegedly openly sold fentanyl on a cul-de-sac by the 100 block of Yuma Street, SE, within 1,000 feet from the Paramount Child Development Prep School.

            “Fentanyl trafficking destroys lives and fuels violence, especially when it involves firearms and obscene profit,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves. “The Metropolitan Police Department has identified the Washington Highlands neighborhood where this network allegedly operated as a neighborhood that will be a focus of its homicide reduction plan.   We will continue to leverage our resources to take aim at those who are brazenly peddling deadly poison and engaging in crimes that attract violence.”  

            “Kahlil Felder and his alleged co conspirators are facing some very serious charges; They will get their day in court, but they stand accused of attempting to distribute a significant amount of poison throughout the Washington, D.C. area,” said Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon, of HSI Washington, D.C.  “Fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. One kilogram of fentanyl can produce 1 million to 1.5 million pill dosage units and has the potential to kill 500,000 people. The fact that they were allegedly in unlawful possession of firearms amplifies the gravity of the alleged crimes. HSI Washington, D.C. will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to keep our residents safe from the tragic repercussions of fentanyl and illegal firearms.”

            “The U.S. Postal Inspection Service remains steadfast in its collaboration with law enforcement partners, standing side by side to relentlessly pursue individuals infiltrating our communities with this deadly drug,” said Damon E. Wood, Inspector in Charge of the USPIS Washington Division. “We remain committed in eradicating these illicit substances from the U.S. mail and consequently safeguarding our community.”

            “We are focused on removing violent offenders, illegal firearms, and deadly drugs from our District streets. MPD along with our local and federal partners are narrowing in on these offenders through our initiative, homicide reduction plan / Operation THRIVE,” said Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department. “Collectively, we are leveraging our resources and focusing in on areas that are experiencing elevated levels of violent crime. These arrests today show how this focused operation has successfully removed Fentanyl, illegal guns, and violent offenders from the Washington Highlands neighborhood.”

            These matters follow the charging and conviction of Ahmad Robertson, 33, of Washington, D.C., who was indicted in June 2023 and, in November 2023, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.  According to the government’s pleadings, Robertson was an established fentanyl trafficker in the 100 block of Yuma Street, SE, in the Washington Highlands area.  Robertson is scheduled for sentencing on his guilty plea on March 22. 

            The above efforts are part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

            The charges of possession with intent to distribute over 400 grams or more of fentanyl and possession of firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking carry a statutory maximum of life in prison.  The charges also carry potential financial penalties. The maximum statutory sentence for federal offenses is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes.

            This case is being investigated by the Homeland Security Investigations Washington Field Office, U.S. Postal Inspection Service Washington Division, the U.S. Marshals Service, and MPD’s Violent Crime Suppression Division.

            It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Will Hart and Andrea Duvall and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Javier Urbina and Jordan Leiter from the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

            An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.