Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals Affirms 45-Year Sentence for Memphis Man Convicted of Fentanyl and Firearm Offenses

Memphis, TN – The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed the 540-month federal prison sentence handed down to Kendrick Watson, 44, following his conviction on drug and firearm offenses at a February 2024 jury trial in the Western District of Tennessee. Interim United States Attorney Joseph C. Murphy, Jr. announced the sentence today.

On appeal, Watson raised multiple issues regarding the denial of his motions to suppress and to dismiss, the sufficiency of the jury instructions, the sufficiency of the evidence presented at trial, and the reasonableness of his sentence.  On June 16, 2024, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed his convictions and sentence in all respects.

According to the opinion, United States Postal Inspectors intercepted a parcel arriving in Memphis, Tennessee, opened it pursuant to a search warrant, and seized one kilogram of cocaine.  Investigators then delivered the parcel to an address in Memphis, where Watson took the parcel inside.  A SWAT team entered the address pursuant to a second search warrant and located the parcel (unopened), five firearms, ammunition, approximately $52,000 in cash, fentanyl, methamphetamine, a handpress with fentanyl residue on it, digital scales, multiple cell phones, a book titled “I.C.E. Eye See Everything the True Life of Kendrick Watson: All Facts No Fiction,” and paperwork in Watson’s name.

Watson filed multiple pre-trial motions, including two motions to suppress, three motions to dismiss, and two motions to exclude seized evidence.  The Sixth Circuit affirmed the denial of the motions to suppress, stating that there was a substantial basis for the issuing judge to have found probable cause.  The Court also affirmed the denial of the motions to dismiss, noting that Watson’s arguments were speculative and lacked evidentiary and legal support. 

The Sixth Circuit further upheld the 540-month sentence, which included a 25-year mandatory term of imprisonment due to a prior federal conviction for possessing a gun during a crime of violence, as procedurally and substantively reasonable.

The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant United States Attorneys Gregory Allen and Naya Bedini prosecuted this case and handled the appeal on behalf of the government.  

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