Kevin Lamonte Powell Jr., 41, of Crestview, Florida, has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon. His wife, Shantel Marie Powell, 38, also of Crestview, received a sentence of one year of home confinement as part of a five-year probation term after being found guilty by a jury for making a false statement to a federal agent. The sentences were announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin stated: “Fentanyl has an undeniably devastating impact on our communities. Anyone caught peddling this deadly weapon of mass destruction will be aggressively prosecuted by my office as we continue to work arm-in-arm with our state and federal law enforcement partners to rid our streets of this poison. This case is yet another successful prosecution under Operation Take Back America, through which President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi have deployed the full might of the Department of Justice to take down and eliminate the drug traffickers terrorizing our communities.”
Court documents and evidence presented at trial showed that on January 31, 2025, law enforcement executed federal search warrants at an outbuilding in Crestview where Kevin Powell stored and distributed drugs and at the Powells’ home in Pensacola. Authorities seized fentanyl; evidence that drugs were being packaged for sale—including two large kilogram presses—five firearms, and various amounts of ammunition. Among the firearms was a privately made weapon without manufacturer markings or serial number, commonly known as a “ghost gun.” During the search warrant execution, Shantel Powell claimed ownership of all firearms and falsely told a federal task force officer she had purchased the ghost gun at a specific gun store in Crestview—a statement intended to obstruct the investigation.
DEA Miami Field Division Acting Special Agent in Charge Kevin Bobbitt commented: “This joint operation highlights our law enforcement partners and the relationships we have with them. Our collaborative effort brought this drug trafficker to justice.”
The investigation was conducted jointly by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, Crestview Police Department, Niceville Police Department, with support from the Gulf Coast High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Alicia Forbes prosecuted the case.
Operation Take Back America is a national initiative aimed at using all resources available within the Department of Justice to combat illegal immigration, dismantle cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect communities from violent crime as well as human and drug trafficking.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one among 94 offices serving as principal litigators under direction from the Attorney General. Additional information about public court documents can be accessed via U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website or at https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
