CRESTVIEW, Fla. — A Crestview husband and wife have been sentenced in federal court following a fentanyl and firearms investigation involving multiple local and federal agencies, said the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida.
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Kevin Lamonte Powell Jr., 41, of Crestview, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon.
His wife and codefendant, Shantel Marie Powell, 38, of Crestview, was sentenced to one year of home confinement as part of a five-year probationary term after being found guilty by a jury of making a false statement to a federal agent.
The sentences were announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
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U.S. Attorney Heekin commented on the case, saying fentanyl continues to have a devastating impact on communities and that offenders involved in trafficking the drug will be aggressively prosecuted.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, federal search warrants were executed on January 31, 2025, at an outbuilding in Crestview where Mr Powell reportedly stored and distributed drugs, as well as at the couple’s home in Pensacola.
During the searches, investigators seized fentanyl, evidence showing drugs were being packaged and prepared for sale, including two large kilogram presses, five firearms, and various amounts of ammunition.
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One of the firearms was described as a privately made firearm with no manufacturer markings or serial number, commonly referred to as a “ghost gun.”
While the search warrant was being executed, Ms Powell told law enforcement that all the firearms belonged to her. Prosecutors said she willfully made a false statement to a federal task force officer by claiming she purchased the privately made firearm at a gun store in Crestview, a statement investigators determined was false and intended to obstruct the investigation.
“This joint operation highlights our law enforcement partners and the relationships we have with them,” said Kevin Bobbitt, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Miami Field Division.
“Our collaborative effort brought this drug trafficker to justice.”
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, the Crestview Police Department, and the Niceville Police Department, with assistance from the Gulf Coast High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Task Force.
Assistant United States Attorney Alicia Forbes prosecuted the case.
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