Drug Dealer Sentenced for Possessing a Smith & Wesson .45 While Distributing PCP, Crack, and Marijuana

WASHINGTON - DeCarlos Wilkins, 24, of Washington D.C., was sentenced today to 60 months in prison for distributing PCP, crack cocaine, and marijuana while in possession of a Smith & Wesson M&P .45 caliber handgun, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

Wilkins pleaded guilty on March 13, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth to possessing a firearm during a drug trafficking offense. In addition to the five-year prison term, Judge Lamberth ordered Wilson to serve five years of supervised release.

According to court documents, on March 3, 2023, about 6:25 p.m., MPD officers were patrolling on the 1800 block of Benning Road, NE when they observed Wilkins kneeling down weighing an unknown substance on a digital scale. Officers recognized this to be consistent with a drug transaction, i.e. a drug dealer measuring the quantity of a drug immediately prior to a sale. When officers exited their vehicle to investigate, Wilkins fled on foot. Officers found Wilkins hiding in a residential yard in a nearby alley. Police recovered 92 small vials of PCP from Wilkins' jacket pocket and a Smith & Wesson M&P .45 from inside Wilkins' pants near his kneecap, underneath a layer of compression shorts. Officers also seized 6.8 ounces of marijuana, 120 grams of cocaine base, and $149 in cash.

Watkins has three prior convictions involving the distribution of illegal drugs, and three prior convictions involving the use of illegal firearms. At the time of his arrest in March 2023, he was on supervision after the release from a prior firearms offense conviction, he was also awaiting sentencing for attempted possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Schneider.

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