A Fairhope resident, Christopher Lynn Barnwell, age 36, has been sentenced to more than 11 years in federal prison after being convicted of drug trafficking and illegal possession of a firearm as a felon. Barnwell also violated the terms of his federal supervised release.
Court documents state that Barnwell sold methamphetamine and fentanyl to confidential informants on four occasions between November 2023 and January 2024 while under supervised release. On January 22, 2024, narcotics agents and the U.S. Probation Office executed a search warrant at Barnwell’s trailer in Fairhope. Agents discovered several baggies containing nearly 189 grams of high-purity methamphetamine and over 18 grams of fentanyl inside a safe that Barnwell opened for them. He admitted ownership of the drugs.
Agents also found a Ruger 9mm pistol hidden beneath an air vent in the bedroom near the safe. During their search, Barnwell led officers to an outdoor shed where they recovered drug paraphernalia and mannitol, which is often used to dilute methamphetamine or fentanyl. While searching the shed, Barnwell acknowledged he was aware of the consequences associated with possessing a firearm due to his multiple prior felony convictions for theft and drug-trafficking offenses in both state and federal courts.
Investigators seized Barnwell’s cell phone, finding text messages about drug transactions—including one message indicating he would meet a customer after visiting his probation officer—as well as photos and videos depicting drugs, cash, and paraphernalia.
United States District Judge Terry F. Moorer sentenced Barnwell to serve 108 months in prison for the drug and firearms charges plus an additional consecutive sentence of 30 months for violating supervised release conditions. Upon completion of his prison term, Barnwell will serve ten years on supervised release with mandatory drug testing and treatment requirements. The court ordered him to pay $300 in special assessments but did not impose a fine; the Ruger pistol was forfeited to federal authorities.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello announced the sentencing.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) along with the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted.
This prosecution falls under the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159: Protecting the American People Against Invasion—a government-wide effort targeting criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational organizations, human smuggling operations, as well as crimes involving children or violent offenders through interagency cooperation led by law enforcement agencies including HSI, FBI, DEA, ATF alongside local partners.
