Michael Stewart, Gun & Drug Trafficking, Washington DC, 2024

Washington, D.C. – Michael Stewart, 29, of Washington, D.C., is headed to federal prison after being sentenced to 46 months for a cascade of drug and weapons offenses. U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan handed down the sentence today, followed by three years of supervised release, bringing an end – for now – to Stewart’s reign as a street-level supplier of dangerous synthetic drugs and illegal firearms.

The bust began November 6, 2022, when officers responded to the Beacon Hotel on Rhode Island Avenue. A search of Stewart’s room revealed a ‘ghost gun’ – a privately manufactured firearm lacking a serial number – loaded with a round in the chamber and a high-capacity magazine holding 24 additional rounds. DNA evidence confirmed Stewart’s connection to the weapon. But the gun wasn’t the only illegal item found. Authorities also seized a scale, $2,232 in small bills, and a hefty 105.13 grams of N-Ethylpentylone, a synthetic cathinone commonly known on the streets as “boot” or “molly.”

The investigation didn’t stop there. Just weeks later, on December 7, 2022, officers caught Stewart publicly consuming marijuana. A subsequent search yielded even more evidence: 70.15 grams of N, N-Dimethylpentylone, another scale, $191, a folded bill containing powder, and a concerning .5 grams of fentanyl – including two light blue M-30 tablets. Another 87.99 grams of N, N-Dimethylpentylone was also recovered. Stewart was already accumulating a significant record.

The final straw came on January 8, 2023. Officers spotted Stewart near 7th and T Streets and initiated a pursuit. Stewart fled, running across an intersection and into oncoming traffic before being apprehended. This time, a loaded Ruger SR9C was recovered from his person – a gun stolen from Atlanta, Georgia. Along with the stolen firearm, officers found two more folded bills with powder, another scale, $435 in small bills, and 61.8 grams of N, N-Dimethylpentylone. The pattern was clear: Stewart was actively engaged in the distribution of both illegal weapons and dangerous narcotics.

Stewart pled guilty on October 25, 2023, and has been detained since January 8, 2023, awaiting sentencing. The case was prosecuted under Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program aimed at reducing violent crime through targeted enforcement. U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, along with MPD Chief Pamela Smith and ATF Special Agent in Charge Craig Kailimai, praised the collaborative effort that brought Stewart to justice, but the streets of D.C. remain flooded with illicit substances and illegal firearms.

The ATF’s Washington Field Division, alongside the Metropolitan Police Department, continue to investigate firearms trafficking and drug distribution networks throughout the District. While Stewart is behind bars, authorities acknowledge the need for sustained pressure to dismantle the organizations that fuel the cycle of violence and addiction plaguing the nation’s capital. The sentence serves as a warning, but the fight is far from over.

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