Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office
District of Columbia

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, January 9, 2020

Cocaine, Drug Paraphernalia, and Multiple Firearms Were Seized

            WASHINGTON – Kevin Stackhouse, 31, of Southeast, D.C. pled guilty yesterday to a federal firearms charge stemming from his narcotics trafficking in the summer and fall of 2019, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Stackhouse pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of Using, Carrying, and Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense.  He will be sentenced on March 30, 2020 by the Honorable Judge Amit P. Mehta. He faces a minimum term of incarceration of five years and up to life in prison.

            Stackhouse was arrested after the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) engaged in a large-scale drug investigation in the 2900 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, Southeast, Washington, D.C. and arrested multiple individuals involved with narcotics trafficking. During the investigation, the ATF conducted several controlled purchases of narcotics from Stackhouse, including the purchase of cocaine base (also known as crack cocaine). On October 9, 2019, ATF obtained a search warrant and conducted a search of Stackhouse’s residence, finding a digital scale, drug paraphernalia, cocaine residue, two loaded firearms – a .22 caliber firearm and a revolver – and four imitation firearms. Law enforcement also recovered nearly 400 rounds of ammunition, and two additional firearms magazines. 

            “This investigation is another example of our desire and ability to disrupt drug trafficking organizations in the District of Columbia,” said U.S. Attorney Liu. “As a result of this effort, we were able to remove six firearms or imitation firearms, all of which are dangerous tools used in the drug trade and can harm our community.”

            This case is part of an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF specializes in the investigation and prosecution of drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and related criminal enterprises.

            This case was also prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide crime-reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety - one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the District of Columbia, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu, Special Agent in Charge Benedict, and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case, including ATF and MPD. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the United States Secret Service, U.S. Marshals Service, Prince George’s County, Md. Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.

            Finally, they cited the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Rosen of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Section, Paralegal Specialist Teesha Tobias, Kim Hall, and Candace Battle, and Legal Assistant Peter Gaboton.