Kahlil G. Felder, 41, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced to 157 months in federal prison for leading a fentanyl distribution network in the Washington Highlands neighborhood. The sentence was handed down by Judge Carl J. Nichols in U.S. District Court.
Felder, who also went by “Kahlil Hewitt,” pleaded guilty on February 25, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute at least 40 grams of fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. He admitted distributing between 1.2 and four kilograms of fentanyl.
In addition to his prison term, Felder will serve five years of supervised release after completing his sentence.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro along with officials from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
“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.”
Authorities said Felder’s arrest followed a yearlong investigation involving multiple agencies that identified him as the leader of a narcotics operation based around Oxon Run Park and Yuma Street SE in Washington Highlands. These locations functioned as open-air drug markets serving walk-up clients; one site operated within 1,000 feet of Paramount Child Development Prep School.
Court documents indicate Felder distributed fentanyl packaged in “purple lady bags” marked with a female figure and labeled “Heavy D.” He also supplied these packages for redistribution by others. Financial records showed over $1 million in suspected cash drug proceeds deposited by Felder between January 2021 and December 2023.
A search warrant executed at Felder’s residence on December 13, 2023 resulted in law enforcement seizing two loaded semiautomatic pistols and more than three kilograms of suspected fentanyl pre-packaged into thousands of baggies or “zips.” Investigators also found equipment used for packaging drugs including scales, test kits, gloves, respirators, sifters, and money counters.
The case was investigated by HSI’s Washington Field Office, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Washington Division, and MPD’s Violent Crime Suppression Division.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Duvall prosecuted the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
