Kahlil G. Felder, 41, from Washington, D.C., was sentenced to more than 13 years in federal prison for leading a fentanyl distribution network in the Washington Highlands area of Southeast D.C. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Carl J. Nichols and includes five years of supervised release following his incarceration.
Felder 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. In his plea agreement, he admitted responsibility for distributing between 1.2 and four kilograms of fentanyl.
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 stated that Felder's arrest followed a yearlong investigation involving multiple agencies that identified him as the leader behind an open-air narcotics market operating near Oxon Run Park and Yuma Street SE in Washington Highlands—areas that included locations within close proximity to a child development center.
Court documents indicate Felder distributed fentanyl using “purple lady bags” labeled with both an image and the words “Heavy D.” He supplied these branded bags both directly and through others for further redistribution. Financial records revealed that over $1 million in suspected cash proceeds were deposited by Felder between January 2021 and December 2023.
During their search on December 13, 2023, law enforcement recovered two loaded semiautomatic pistols along with more than three kilograms of suspected fentanyl pre-packaged into thousands of small baggies at Felder’s residence. Additional items found included packaging tools such as scales, test kits, gloves, respirators, sifters, and money counters.
The case involved collaboration among 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.
