WASHINGTON — An Upper Marlboro man was sentenced Friday to five years in federal prison for his role in a wide-ranging narcotics conspiracy after police recovered six kilograms of PCP from a suitcase hidden in the back of his vehicle.
Kenneth Watts, 59, was sentenced July 17, 2026, in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia following his conviction on one count of conspiracy to distribute one kilogram or more of phencyclidine, commonly known as PCP.
A federal jury found Watts guilty May 20, 2025. U.S. District Judge Jia M. Cobb also ordered him to serve five years of supervised release after completing his prison term.
Court records show the case grew out of a two-year investigation into a drug trafficking network operating throughout the Washington metropolitan area. Investigators determined the organization distributed large quantities of cocaine, fentanyl and PCP and used firearms to protect its operations and proceeds.
Watts was accused of obtaining bulk shipments of liquid PCP from a supplier in California.
On Sept. 23, 2020, Prince George’s County police intercepted a package containing approximately six kilograms of PCP at a FedEx facility in Maryland. The package was addressed to a fictitious recipient at a home in Temple Hills.
Investigators conducted a controlled delivery and watched Watts retrieve the package before entering the residence. He later left carrying a suitcase and drove away.
Police stopped him a short distance from the home and recovered the PCP from the suitcase in the bed of his vehicle. Laboratory testing confirmed the substance was approximately six kilograms of PCP.
A search of Watts’ cellphone uncovered text messages with the California supplier that included the Temple Hills delivery address and fictitious recipient’s name. Investigators also found messages showing Watts contacted a co-conspirator the day before the package arrived and was later approached by that person about obtaining PCP.
Co-defendant James Kinard, 48, of Temple Hills, was convicted by the same jury of conspiring to distribute PCP and fentanyl. His sentencing remains pending.
Three other defendants pleaded guilty before trial:
- Melvin Grayson, 52, of District Heights, was sentenced to 10 years for conspiring to distribute cocaine, fentanyl and PCP.
- Tyrone Ragland, 57, also known as “Tech,” of Washington, was sentenced to 15 years for conspiring to distribute at least one kilogram of PCP.
- Charles Cunningham, 59, of Washington, was sentenced to 15 years for possessing a firearm after a felony conviction.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Washington Division, the Metropolitan Police Department and the Prince George’s County Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nihar R. Mohanty and Iris Y. McCranie prosecuted the case.
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