According to the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, two Maryland men have been convicted of participating in a drug trafficking organization that pumped cocaine, fentanyl, and PCP into the D.C. area. Kenneth Watts of Upper Marlboro and James Kinard of Temple Hills stood trial and faced the reality of their crimes, as a jury found them guilty of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute significant quantities of narcotics; Watts now faces up to a decade in prison, while Kinard faces even more time due to additional fentanyl charges.
During the trial, evidence was brought forward showing intercepted communications and controlled purchases that exposed a web of nefarious dealings. The U.S. Attorney’s Office detailed how text messages from Watts’ phone linked him to a package containing six kilos of PCP and connections to fellow defendant Melvin Grayson, a man who pled guilty earlier this month along with two others, Tyrone Ragland and Charles Cunningham, both of whom also took plea deals for their roles.
The case’s complexity necessitated a collaborative effort from various law enforcement agencies, with significant contributions from both the FBI’s Washington Field Office Cross Border Task Force and the DEA Washington Field Division; additionally, the FBI’s task force, part of the Safe Streets Initiative, played a critical role in targeting violent street crews that contribute to the District of Columbia’s underworld tapestry. Officials from the Justice Department have scheduled the sentencing for August 7, when the defendants will hear the final judgment for their roles in continuing the cycle of addiction and violence that plagues our communities.
Investigations like these reveal the ongoing struggles in the fight against illegal narcotics distribution, which continues to devastate communities throughout the nation. The case has been a part of the broader Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces program, an initiative aimed at dismantling high-level criminal organizations threatening America’s societal fabric,” stated Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nihar R. Mohanty and Iris Y. McCranie of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
