Columbia man sentenced to 11 years for fentanyl trafficking; “a lifetime of lawlessness and violence,” prosecutors say

A convicted felon from Columbia is heading to federal prison for the next 11 years for trafficking fentanyl.

30-year-old Warren Andre Washington pleaded guilty in November in federal court in Jefferson City to one count of possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute. U.S. District Judge Brian Wimes has sentenced Washington to 11 years without parole.

Federal prosecutors say law enforcement officers also found numerous semi-automatic handguns at Washington’s Columbia home after he was arrested in April 2021. Court documents connect two of those firearms to previous shooting incidents.

Federal prosecutors say Washington has prior federal felony convictions for being a felon in possession of a firearm and for two counts of distributing crack cocaine.

A six-page federal court document describes Washington as “a longtime drug dealer who moved from marijuana to cocaine to fentanyl.” The court document describes Washington’s 30 years as “a lifetime of lawlessness and violence.”