Opelika men are sentenced to prison for gun and drug trafficking

TALLAPOOSA COUNTY, Ala. (WSFA) – Two Opelika men will spend several years in federal prison after being convicted for their roles in a drug trafficking investigation in Tallapoosa County.

Jeffrey Monkentee Hill, 45, was sentenced to nearly 21 years in prison. Carstavious Shadon Stovall, 34, will remain in office for nearly eight years. The federal prison system does not provide for parole. The men belong to several Project Safe Neighborhoods Cases prosecuted by the Department of Justice.

Court records showed that in early 2022, the Tallapoosa County Narcotics Task Force began an investigation into suspected drug trafficking, which ultimately revealed Hill was involved in selling illegal drugs at a Camp Hill residence. After executing a search warrant, police officers found the two men in the home along with cocaine, methamphetamine and several weapons.

Both men were prohibited from possessing weapons or ammunition because of prior felony convictions, said Acting U.S. Attorney Kevin Davidson.

Hill and Stovall were found guilty in June of being a felon in possession of a firearm, and Hill was convicted of additional charges of possession of cocaine and meth with intent to distribute, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of distribution Convicted of drug trafficking crime.

Davidson's office said that based on Hill's criminal history, the sentencing judge determined he qualified under federal guidelines for sentencing as a career criminal, which increased the guidelines for Hill and resulted in a significant sentence.

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