Des Moines Man Sentenced to 262 Months in Federal Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl

DES MOINES, Iowa – A Des Moines man and reported member of the Black P Stones criminal street gang was sentenced on August 27, 2025, to 262 months in federal prison for his participation in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.

According to public court documents, in the spring of 2024, law enforcement learned that Kevin Stanley Harris, Jr., 44, was a high-level fentanyl dealer operating in Des Moines. Following a seven-month investigation, law enforcement confirmed that Harris traveled to and from Chicago, Illinois, to obtain large quantities of fentanyl for redistribution in Des Moines and had multiple co-conspirators working with and for him to distribute fentanyl on a daily or near daily basis. Harris was arrested on December 18, 2024, the same day thirteen federal search warrants were executed, which resulted in the seizure of approximately 610 grams of heroin/fentanyl mixture, approximately 135 grams of methamphetamine, approximately 260 grams of marijuana, as well as 19 firearms and more than $13,000 in U.S. currency amongst the residences. Harris was sentenced under the United States Sentencing Guidelines as a career offender and has an extensive criminal history that includes possession of weapons and multiple drug-related convictions, including a prior federal conviction out of the Northern District of Iowa, as well as convictions involving cocaine and THC.

After completing his term of imprisonment, Harris will be required to serve an eight-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Des Moines Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and United States Postal Inspection Service.

Des Moines Police Department Chief Michael McTaggart said the following of the investigation and sentence: “The Des Moines Police Department is grateful for the strong partnership with our federal agencies, whose collaboration has been essential in our ongoing efforts to protect our community from the devastating effects of the illegal distribution of fentanyl. Justice for families impacted, and the prevention of tragedies yet to happen, comes from the joint efforts of the men and women who work together to intervene in the trafficking of this deadly drug.”

“Through our joint enforcement efforts, we’ve dismantled a criminal organization that posed a direct threat to the safety and stability of various communities,” said Bryan Musgrove, Inspector in Charge of the Denver Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. “This sentencing is a result of a coordinated effort of our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to keep heroin and other drugs out of our communities.”

“Fentanyl is an exceptionally destructive drug that wreaks havoc on our communities. We will continue partnering aggressively with our law enforcement partners to disrupt and dismantle drug trafficking organizations operating in Iowa. The sentencing of Kevin Stanley Harris, Jr., is one important step in our continuing fight to keep fentanyl out of our neighborhoods” said FBI Omaha Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel.

Harris’s co-defendants are scheduled to be sentenced as follows: Adonis Devora, 44, of Des Moines, on September 22, 2025; Devonte Hassell, 29, of Houston, Texas, on September 30, 2025; Ricky Ellis, 30, of Des Moines, on October 1, 2025; Ryan Redmond, 31, of Chicago, Illinois, on October 20, 2025; and Terrell Harris, 41, of Chicago, Illinois, on December 2, 2025.

Fentanyl is the leading cause of drug overdose deaths in the United States. Fentanyl deaths for youth ages 15 to 24 more than doubled between 2018 and 2022. Counterfeit, fentanyl-laced pills often resemble pharmaceutical pills, but contain potentially lethal doses of fentanyl. Visit the Drug Enforcement Administration’s website to learn more about One Pill Can Kill.