Leader of Washington Highlands Fentanyl Conspiracy Sentenced to More than 13 Years on Narcotics, Weapons Counts

WASHINGTON – Kahlil G. Felder, 41, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 157 months in prison for operating a fentanyl distribution network based in the Washington Highlands neighborhood in Southeast, according to U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. Felder, aka “Kahlil Hewitt,” pleaded guilty on Feb. 25, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. In his plea, Felder acknowledged that he distributed at least 1.2 kilos, but less than 4 kilos, of fentanyl. In addition to the 157-month prison term, Judge Carl J. Nichols ordered Felder to serve five years of supervised release. Joining U.S. Attorney Pirro in the announcement were HSI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Heck of Homeland Security Investigations - Washington Field Office, Inspector in Charge Damon E. Wood U.S. Postal Inspection Service Washington Division, and Interim Chief Jeffrey Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department. "This was a high-volume dealer responsible for distributing a significant amount of poison from his base in Southeast Washington,’ said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “When he was arrested, agents discovered three kilos of fentanyl inside one suitcase at his apartment – enough to potentially amount to millions of lethal doses. Even 157 months is not enough to pay for the hurt and damage he caused to this city when he was dealing during the height of the opioid epidemic.” Felder’s arrest came after a yearlong multiagency investigation that identified him as a leader of a narcotics distribution network operating at Oxon Run Park, located at 1200 Mississippi Avenue SE, and the 100 block of Yuma Street SE, both in the Washington Highlands neighborhood. Both areas – including one within 1,000 feet of the Paramount Child Development Prep School -- functioned as an open-air drug market with narcotics dealers serving walk-up clients. According to court documents, Felder sold fentanyl in “purple lady bags” branded with a female figure and the words “Heavy D,” which he also supplied to others for redistribution. The financial investigation identified over $1 million in suspected cash drug proceeds deposited by Felder between January 2021 and his arrest in December 2023. During a search of Felder’s residence on Dec. 13, 2023, law enforcement recovered two loaded semiautomatic pistols and more than three kilograms of suspected fentanyl, including fentanyl pre-packaged in thousands of baggies or “zips.” Investigators also found tools and materials for packaging fentanyl, including a scale, test kits, gloves, a respirator, a sifter, and a money counter.