Kevin Lamonte Powell Jr., Fentanyl Trafficking, Florida 2025

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Kevin Lamonte Powell Jr., 41, of Crestview, has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for his role in a fentanyl trafficking operation.

Powell, a convicted felon, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon. His wife and codefendant, Shantel Marie Powell, 38, of Crestview, was sentenced to one year of home confinement as a part of a five-year probationary term after having been found guilty by a jury of 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.

According to court documents, on January 31, 2025, federal search warrants were executed simultaneously at an outbuilding in Crestview where Kevin Powell regularly stored and distributed drugs and the Powells’ home in Pensacola, law enforcement seized fentanyl; evidence that Kevin Powell was packaging and preparing drugs for sale, including two large kilogram presses; a total of five firearms; and various amounts of ammunition.

One of the firearms was a privately made firearm with no manufacturer markings or serial number, often referred to as a “ghost gun.” While the search warrant was being executed, Shantel Powell told law enforcement that all the firearms were hers, and she willfully falsely told a federal task force officer that she had purchased the privately made firearm at a particular gun store in Crestview, which was a lie intended to obstruct the investigation of this case.

The convictions were the result of a joint investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, the Crestview Police Department, and the Niceville Police Department, with assistance from the Gulf Coast High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Task Force.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alicia Forbes.

Kevin Lamonte Powell Jr., 41, of Crestview, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after having previously pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon. His wife and codefendant, Shantel Marie Powell, 38, of Crestview, was sentenced to one year of home confinement as a part of a five-year probationary term after having been found guilty by a jury of making a false statement to a federal agent.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.

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