PENSACOLA, Florida – Three Pensacola men face federal charges in a fentanyl distribution conspiracy case that investigators say moved significant amounts of the drug through Escambia County. United States Attorney John P. Heekin of the Northern District of Florida announced the charges.
The defendants are 49-year-old Douglas Lewis Jr., 47-year-old Kenneth Savage and 48-year-old Emmit Crum. Prosecutors charged each man with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, using telephone facilities to carry out the drug conspiracy, and maintaining a drug premises. The source describes the conspiracy as lasting multiple years.
Search warrants at multiple homes
Law enforcement arrested the men during an operational takedown that included search warrants at multiple Escambia County residences. Officers also arrested 36-year-old Tiffany Oppelt and 36-year-old Britny Davis, both of Pensacola, on federal drug charges.
Court testimony at a preliminary hearing showed that officers seized close to two pounds of fentanyl, multiple firearms and vehicles, and more than $100,000 in U.S. currency during the searches. Investigators said the conspiracy sent significant amounts of fentanyl across Escambia County over more than a year.
Detention hearings
Lewis, Savage and Crum appeared this week before United States Magistrate Judge Zachary C. Bolitho at the federal courthouse in Pensacola for detention hearings. The judge ordered all three held in the custody of the United States Marshals Service while the case moves forward.
The charges are accusations. The defendants have not been convicted.
Agencies involved
A long list of agencies investigated the case:
- Drug Enforcement Administration
- Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton county sheriff’s offices
- Pensacola Police Department
- Florida Highway Patrol
- Florida Department of Law Enforcement
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- U.S. Marshals Service
- Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
Assistant United States Attorney David L. Goldberg is prosecuting the case. Readers can find more federal court coverage on the Northern District of Florida topic page.