Damion Alexander Peddie, a 54-year-old Jamaican citizen previously convicted of multiple drug trafficking offenses and deported from the United States at least five times, was sentenced on April 1 to 122 months in federal prison for possessing weapons and narcotics as well as illegally re-entering the country. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy J. Kelly.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by law enforcement to address repeat offenders who re-enter the country after deportation and continue criminal activity involving drugs and firearms.
Peddie pleaded guilty on December 19, 2025, to charges including unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, alien in possession of a firearm, and unlawful re-entry after removal. In addition to his prison term, he will serve three years of supervised release and must comply with any order of deportation issued against him.
“Damion Peddie showed a complete disregard for our laws and our borders—deported five times, yet he chose to come back and arm himself with a cache of weapons and narcotics. A previously convicted drug trafficker, he continued to put American communities at risk,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. “This career criminal illegal alien is exactly the type of offender the Trump administration is working tirelessly to remove from our country—after serving his sentence, he will be deported.”
According to court documents, FBI agents began investigating a drug trafficking conspiracy centered around Knox Place SE in Washington during summer 2024. During their investigation into fentanyl distribution networks operating out of that area, agents identified Peddie as conspiring with others involved in distributing fentanyl among other narcotics.
On August 26, 2025, FBI agents executed a search warrant at a residence on Taylor Street NW where they encountered Peddie descending stairs inside the home. In his bedroom they found an untraceable ghost gun—a privately manufactured black Polymer80 pistol without serial number—as well as another handgun; approximately seven pounds of marijuana; plus distribution quantities of fentanyl and crack cocaine were also seized from the premises along with additional firearms elsewhere in the house.
This marks Peddie’s fifth federal conviction for unlawfully re-entering after removal: prior convictions occurred in Maryland (1996) and Washington D.C. (2004, 2010, and 2013).
FBI Assistant Director Darren B. Cox joined U.S. Attorney Pirro in announcing the sentencing outcome.
The case was prosecuted under Homeland Security Task Force initiatives directed under President Trump’s Executive Order titled Protecting the American People Against Invasion.
