A Southeast D.C. couple is facing federal charges after agents say they found 322 grams of suspected fentanyl, loaded firearms, and three children inside their Congress Heights apartment. Katie Shameka Williams, 33, and Kenneth Darnell Smith Jr., 32, were arrested Tuesday when a federal search warrant was executed at their apartment building on the 1600 block of Savannah Street SE, according to prosecutors.
The two are accused of operating an alleged drug trafficking operation out of their home, with investigators documenting at least nine instances of crack cocaine and fentanyl being distributed, as reported by DailyVoice.com. The investigation was carried out by the FBI Washington Field Office Safe Streets Task Force working alongside the Metropolitan Police Department, with prosecution handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia’s Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Officials say they launched the investigation into the narcotics distribution operation in March.
What Agents Found Inside
During the raid, agents recovered approximately 322 grams of suspected fentanyl in both pill and powdered form, along with $1,931 in cash, according to the seed report. They also seized three loaded handguns, a rifle, a drum magazine, multiple additional firearm magazines, and ammunition. The U.S. Attorney’s Office provided photographs of the seized evidence, including a bag of suspected fentanyl pills, per the same account.
Officials also found three children inside the apartment at the time of the search, the article notes. The dossier does not detail what custody arrangements followed the discovery, and that question remains open as the case moves forward.
Federal Charges Carry Mandatory Prison Time
Williams and Smith were charged with conspiracy to distribute 40 grams or more of a fentanyl-containing mixture or substance and a cocaine-base-containing mixture or substance. Both made their initial court appearances following their arrests. Under 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(B), a conspiracy charge involving 40 grams or more of fentanyl carries a statutory mandatory minimum of five years in prison, up to a maximum of 40 years, and fines as high as $5 million for an individual, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. A separate charge involving 28 grams or more of crack cocaine carries the same five-year mandatory minimum under the same statute…