Melvin Edward Allen, Jr., a 39-year-old resident of Washington D.C., has been sentenced to 75 months in federal prison for his involvement in a fentanyl trafficking operation. This operation distributed large quantities of fentanyl-laced pills from Southern California to various locations across the United States, including Washington D.C. Allen was among 24 co-defendants arrested throughout 2023 in multiple states and charged with conspiracy.
The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, along with Special Agent in Charge Ibrar A. Mian of the Drug Enforcement Administration Washington Division, Inspector in Charge Damon Wood of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Washington Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Allen, who also goes by "21," pleaded guilty on December 18, 2024, to charges related to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. In addition to his prison sentence, Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ordered Allen to serve five years of supervised release.
Court documents revealed that Allen became involved in the conspiracy after being introduced to Hector David Valdez, a Los Angeles-based trafficker distributing fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills. Allen's role involved traveling frequently between the DMV area and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to broker sales of these pills. His commissions funded a lavish lifestyle that he often flaunted on social media.
The investigation into this drug trafficking network was initiated following the overdose death of Diamond Lynch in Southeast D.C. The probe led law enforcement agencies to uncover a wide-reaching network transporting fentanyl from Mexico through Los Angeles and into D.C. Over time, authorities seized more than 450,000 fentanyl pills, 1.5 kilograms of fentanyl powder, and numerous firearms.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation aimed at dismantling high-level drug trafficking organizations through coordinated efforts involving federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
The prosecution team included Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew W. Kinskey, Solomon S. Eppel, and Iris McCranie from the Violent Crimes and Narcotics Trafficking Division.
