Evergreen Reporter

Kenneth Josiah Hampton, 26, from Washington, D.C., has been found guilty in a U.S. District Court for his involvement in a drug trafficking conspiracy. This was announced by 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.

Hampton was convicted on November 26, 2024, after a six-day jury trial. The charges include conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana and oxycodone, possession with intent to distribute these substances, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. United States District Judge Amit P. Mehta has set sentencing for March 19, 2025.

The ATF identified Hampton by his rap alias "Carti Ears" as an opioid and marijuana dealer operating within the District of Columbia. A search warrant executed at his residence on October 31, 2022—shared with co-conspirator Myles Allen—yielded three firearms, numerous prescription oxycodone pills including fentanyl-laced counterfeit ones, promethazine, several pounds of marijuana, and thousands of dollars in cash.

During the trial, evidence showed that Hampton was heavily involved in drug trafficking using social media platforms for business transactions. Both he and Allen frequently posted images displaying large amounts of cash alongside firearms and bulk quantities of marijuana. Hampton referred to himself as "The Neighborhood Pharmacist," advertising opioids for sale.

Myles Allen had previously pleaded guilty on August 31, 2023, to one count related to firearm possession during a drug trafficking crime and received a five-year prison sentence on December 20, 2023.

Hampton could face up to 20 years imprisonment for possessing controlled substances with intent to distribute them along with conspiracy charges. Additionally, there is a mandatory minimum sentence of five years—and potentially life imprisonment—for firearm possession linked to drug trafficking activities; this term would run consecutively with any other imposed sentences.

The case investigation was led by ATF’s Washington Field Division with support from the DEA’s Washington Division as well as the United States Secret Service Uniformed Division and Metropolitan Police Department.

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