BALTIMORE (WBFF) — A 55-year-old Baltimore man has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison for his role in a large-scale drug trafficking conspiracy involving fentanyl and other narcotics, federal officials announced Thursday.
U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Rivers Stewart to eight years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after he was convicted of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.
According to court documents, Stewart was identified in June 2021 as an associate of Carlos Scovens, 59, an alleged upper-level drug distributor operating in the Baltimore metropolitan area.
Law enforcement officials began investigating Scovens based on confidential source information and surveillance conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
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A wiretap investigation and information from confidential informants later revealed that Stewart conspired with Scovens and others to distribute fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and cocaine base.
Authorities said Stewart and his co-conspirators used a residence in Northeast Baltimore as a stash house. Investigators observed Stewart and Scovens meeting at the location multiple times.
On April 18, 2022, investigators executed a search warrant at the residence and recovered approximately 3,645 grams of fentanyl, 1,000 grams of cocaine, 399 grams of cocaine base, and 500 grams of a heroin-fentanyl mixture.
Officials said Stewart possessed the fentanyl and heroin mixture with the intent to distribute them prior to the search.
Search warrants executed at additional locations linked to Stewart resulted in the seizure of $45,413 and $17,925 in cash, which investigators believe were proceeds from drug trafficking.
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Scovens was sentenced on Jan. 16, 2026, to 100 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.
Another co-conspirator, Keyshawna Ellis, 29, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty in December 2024 and was sentenced in May 2025 to two years in federal prison.
The case was investigated by the DEA’s Washington Division, the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office, the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, the Baltimore Police Department, and the Baltimore County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys LaRai Everett and Jon Tsuei prosecuted the case.
U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes praised the agencies involved for their collaborative efforts in dismantling the drug trafficking operation.
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