Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Defendant is a Member of a DC Crew

            WASHINGTON – Kenneth Josiah Hampton, 26, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty by a jury in U.S. District Court for his role in a multi-year drug trafficking conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Washington Field Division.

           On November 26, 2024, after a six-day jury trial, Hampton was found guilty of conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana and oxycodone, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession with intent to distribute oxycodone, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. United States District Judge Amit P. Mehta scheduled sentencing for March 19, 2025.

           The ATF identified Hampton, also known by his rap alias “Carti Ears,” as an opioid and marijuana dealer operating in the District of Columbia. On October 31, 2022, ATF agents executed a search warrant at Hampton’s residence, which he shared with co-conspirator Myles Allen, and recovered three firearms, numerous prescription oxycodone pills, fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills, promethazine, several pounds of marijuana, and several thousand dollars in cash.

           Evidence presented over the course of the trial established that Hampton was a prolific drug trafficker who utilized social media to conduct his business. Both Hampton and Allen also posted numerous pictures of themselves together with large quantities of cash, firearms, and bulk marijuana. Hampton referred to himself as “The Neighborhood Pharmacist,” posting frequent advertisements about the opioids he possessed for sale.

On August 31, 2023, Myles Allen pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and was sentenced, on December 20, 2023, to five years in prison.

           Hampton faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for the possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute it and conspiracy thereof. Hampton also faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, with a statutory maximum of life imprisonment, for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime to be served consecutively to any other sentence imposed.

           This case was investigated by ATF’s Washington Field Division with assistance from the DEA’s Washington Division, the United States Secret Service Uniformed Division, and the Metropolitan Police Department.

           This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew W. Kinskey and Solomon S. Eppel of the of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.