Three-Time Convicted Felon Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison for Possession of Glocks, ‘Molly,’ and Fake Pills Laced with Fentanyl

            WASHINGTON – Christopher Norece Mitchell, 26, a three-time convicted felon from Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 84 months in prison in connection with illegally possessing three loaded Glock firearms and distribution quantities of cocaine base, fentanyl, N,N-Dimethylpentylone (also known as “molly”), marijuana, promethazine, and synthetic cannabinoids. At the time of the offense on April 20, 2023, Mitchell was on probation in three Superior Court cases, having been released from a 30-month prison term only three months earlier. Two of his probation cases were for felon-in-possession convictions.

            The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves; Special Agent in Charge Craig Kailimai of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Mitchell, 26, pleaded guilty March 6, 2024, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to a criminal information charging him with a count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon and a count of possession with intent to distribute N,N-Dimethylpentylone. In addition to the prison term, the Honorable Jia M. Cobb ordered Mitchell to serve three years of supervised release.

            According to court documents, on April 20, 2023, MPD officers approached a group of men who were loitering on private property in the 800 block of 6th Street, NW, in Chinatown. One of the men grabbed a black plastic bag off a fence post and threw it into trash can in front of the officers. Officers recovered the bag, which contained 118 grams of marijuana, a digital scale, empty plastic baggies, and a key fob for an Acura SUV parked on the block. Minutes later, Mitchell approached the officers and requested the fob, which he said was for his mother’s car.

            Given Mitchell’s association with a vehicle whose key was recovered alongside evidence of drug distribution, the officers stopped Mitchell. Mitchell voluntarily consented to a search of his person, which—in addition to a small bag of marijuana he had previously showed the officers—yielded $3,818 in cash, a bag of 24 blue pills marked “M/20,” and a baggie containing about 22 grams of a white crystal-like substance that field-tested positive for amphetamine.

            Officers also saw a loose crystal substance in plain view on the SUV’s driver’s floorboard—which they identified as a controlled substance known as “molly”—and proceeded to search the vehicle. The substance appeared identical to the powder recovered from Mitchell’s person and field-tested positive for amphetamine. During a search of the vehicle, officers recovered additional controlled substances. From the center console, they recovered 145 grams of a white rock-like substance packaged into five baggies. From the rear driver’s side floorboard, they recovered a plastic bag containing 342 grams of suspected synthetic cannabinoids. From the driver’s side door panel, they recovered three digital scales with white residue. From the front passenger’s seat, officers recovered a jacket containing a bottle of suspected promethazine that was approximately 25% full. Some of the drugs recovered on April 20, 2023, were subsequently lab tested by the Drug Enforcement Administration. The substance that field-tested as amphetamine was determined to predominantly be N,N-Dimethylpentylone and cocaine base. The pills were determined to contain fentanyl and acetaminophen.

            The officers also recovered three loaded firearms and ammunition from the vehicle. Mitchell directed the officers to the locations of these firearms. From the glove box, officers recovered a Glock 22, .40 caliber semi-automatic firearm with a 15-round magazine, with one round loaded in the firearm’s chamber and 13 rounds in its magazine. There was also a 31-round magazine loaded with 30 rounds of ammunition. From a backpack in the backseat, the officers recovered two additional firearms: a Glock 22, .40 caliber semi-automatic firearm with 15 rounds loaded into its 22-round magazine; and a Glock 19, 9mm semi-automatic firearm with a 17-round magazine, with one round loaded in the firearm’s chamber and 15 rounds in its magazine. Swabs from the firearms and magazines were submitted to the FBI for DNA testing and analysis. The results tied Mitchell to one of the firearms and two of the magazines.

            Federal law prohibits Mitchell from possessing a firearm because he has three prior convictions in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia for crimes punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year.

            At the time of the offense, Mitchell was on probation in three Superior Court cases—two involving felon-in-possession convictions and one involving a misdemeanor assault conviction—having been released from a 30-month prison term only three months earlier.  The Honorable Robert A. Salerno has scheduled a probation revocation hearing for July 17, 2024. Upon revocation of probation, Mitchell faces up to 13 additional months in prison.

            The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Metropolitan Police Department as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Valuable assistance was provided by the DEA’s Mid-Atlantic Laboratory and the FBI’s laboratory in Quantico, Virginia.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul V. Courtney and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Kelley.

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