Alabama Fentanyl Dealer Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison
BALDWIN COUNTY, Al
By Rick McCann
Blue RAM Media
April 3, 2025
An update from the US Department of Justice states that a Baldwin County man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for conspiring to distribute and possessing bulk fentanyl with intent to distribute it.
According to a report, James Walker Stewart, 38, was arrested on Nov. 18, 2023, following a traffic stop in Atmore, Alabama.
During that stop, authorities found Stewart with half a kilogram of fentanyl, a small amount of methamphetamine, and drug paraphernalia.
Court documents said Stewart told authorities that he and a co-conspirator, Zachary Heaton Thaggard, had picked up the fentanyl in Atlanta and were bringing it to Pensacola, Florida.
Stewart then said that he had coordinated the fentanyl transaction with another co-conspirator, Justin Brian Melton, who was then serving time in an Alabama prison and made the deal using a contraband cell phone.
According to the USDOJ, Stewart’s cellphone was seized. It contained text messages, pictures, videos and other evidence of drug-trafficking activities with Melton and others.
United States District Judge Kristi K. DuBose ordered Stewart to serve 10 years of supervised release once he is released from his 10-year prison sentence. During that supervised release, Stewart will be subject to drug testing and treatment.
According to the USDOJ, Melton will spend 210 months in prison, and Thaggard will spend 30 months in prison for their roles in the conspiracy.
This investigation included the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the case.
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