Federal Authorities Charge Three Pensacola Men in Extensive Fentanyl Distribution Conspiracy

Pensacola, Florida – Federal prosecutors have charged Douglas Lewis Jr., 49; Kenneth Savage, 47; and Emmit Crum, 48, all residents of Pensacola, Florida, with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, using telephone facilities to facilitate drug trafficking, and maintaining a drug-involved premises. The charges were announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

The arrests occurred during a coordinated operational takedown involving multiple search warrants executed at residences across Escambia County. Alongside the three men, Tiffany Oppelt, 36, and Britny Davis, 36, also of Pensacola, were taken into custody on federal drug charges.

Court disclosures during a preliminary hearing revealed that law enforcement seized nearly two pounds of fentanyl, multiple firearms, several vehicles, and in excess of $100,000 in U.S. currency. The investigation uncovered that the defendants were distributing substantial amounts of fentanyl throughout Escambia County over a period exceeding one year.

Following their arrests, Lewis, Savage, and Crum appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Zachary C. Bolitho at the federal courthouse in Pensacola for detention hearings. The court ordered that all three remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending further judicial proceedings.

This investigation is the product of a multi-agency collaboration involving the Drug Enforcement Administration, Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, Walton County Sheriff’s Office, Pensacola Police Department, Florida Highway Patrol, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Marshals Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Assistant United States Attorney David L. Goldberg is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.

The United States Attorney’s Office emphasized that the federal criminal complaint constitutes an allegation and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial, where the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative aimed at dismantling drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations, combating illegal immigration, and protecting communities from violent crime.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices serving as principal litigators under the Attorney General’s direction. Public court documents related to this case are accessible through the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida’s website. Additional information about the office is available at https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.

Contact information for the U.S. Attorney’s Office Northern District of Florida is USAFLN.Press.Office@usdoj.gov, with social media presence on X at @USAO_NDFL.

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