Arnold Man Pleads Guilty To Federal Fentanyl Trafficking

Friday, September 5, 2025, 4:15 P.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

PITTSBURGH, PA.- A 36-year-old former Arnold, Pennsylvania, man and a three-time convicted drug trafficker is facing up to spending the rest of his life in federal prison when he is sentenced early next year, after pleading guilty to a federal drug trafficking crime.

     According to Acting U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti, on Wednesday, September 3, 2025, Kevin Watson, 36, formerly of Arnold, Pennsylvania, and currently detained in federal custody, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge W. Scott Hardy to Possession with Intent to Distribute 400 Grams or More of Fentanyl and 100 Grams or More of Herion.

     Following entering his guilty plea on Wednesday, Judge Hardy accepted the plea and scheduled sentencing for January 8, 2026. At that time, Watson faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years, and up to life in federal prison, at least four years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $10 million. At sentencing, a U.S. District Court Judge will determine the term of imprisonment based on the seriousness of the offense and Watson’s prior criminal history.

According To The Charging Information Filed With The Court

     According to the charging information filed with the District Court, on April 26, 2019, members of the Pennsylvania State Police conducted a traffic stop for traffic violations on a vehicle being driven by Watson, with a young child as a passenger in the back seat of Watson’s vehicle. When Troopers asked Watson to exit the vehicle, Watson sped away from the traffic stop and led Troopers on a high-speed chase that reached speeds of 115 miles per hour.

     Eventually, the high-speed pursuit came to an end when Watson crashed the vehicle and fled on foot, leaving the young child, who was not seriously injured, alone and unattended in the vehicle. 

     Later, the Pennsylvania State Police obtained and executed a court-authorized search warrant on Watson’s Vehicle. During the search, State Troopers and Investigators discovered more than $100,000 of a mixture containing fentanyl and heroin in the truck of the car.    

     Watson has an extensive criminal history that includes, among other felony convictions, three prior drug trafficking convictions, and he was on parole at the time of the instant offense.