fort smith, ar drug arrests 2020

The individuals arrested today enriched themselves off the misery and sufferings of others, said FBI Little Rock Field Office Special Agent in Charge Diane Upchurch in the news release. . (KNWA) Twenty-four people were arrested on warrants following a 10 month drug investigation, according to Van Buren police. #7-2023. Additionally, the operation led investigators to Wilkes County in June 2020 and the seizure of more than 200 pounds of methamphetamine and the arrest of three individuals. In August 2020, a federal grand jury returned an Indictment charging several individuals in the Fort Smith, Arkansas area with a large-scale, multi-state drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracy. The indictment for the 18 defendants alleges all of them at least as early as Jan. 1, 2019, to July 28, 2020, conspired with each other and with others known and unknown to the Grand Jury to distribute a substance containing meth. This prosecution is part of the Western District of Arkansas Operation Bear Mountain Bingo, which is part of the Department of Justices Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. Most Wanted The following persons have active warrants for their arrest. These arrests are for a variety of drugs ranging from marijuana to meth and cocaine. Alabama Arkansas Arizona California Colorado Florida Georgia Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kentucky Kansas Louisiana Maine Maryland Michigan Minnesota Missouri Mississippi Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico North Carolina Oklahoma . Since that arrest in August of 2020, Matthews has chalked up at least three more felony arrest, a number of which came in the 15th Judicial District in Scott County. darden anniversary pay 2020; beowulf energy paul prager net worth; power county press police log; dave hakstol contract. Any time we advocate for not using drugs or staying away, we do it, but I dont know what the answer is, he said. This, in turn, can increase the likelihood of overdoses. 202300706. Total Annual Drug Arrests In The United States By Offense Type. Lock Because of persistent and collaborative efforts of multiple law enforcement agencies in the area, a major supplier of methamphetamine to this region of Arkansas is out of business, said Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Brad Byerley. Twenty-two defendants federally accused of drug trafficking in Sebastian, Crawford and Logan counties allegedly pushed at least more than half a pound of methamphetamine onto the streets of the three counties since the beginning of 2019. Emily Elizabeth Williams age 31, Fort Smith, Arkansas sentenced October 5, 2021 to 70 months BOP, $100 special assessment, $900 fine for Conspiracy to Distribute a Mixture or Substance Containing Methamphetamine. Our strategies include but not limited to problem-solving techniques; building robust and lasting partnerships with all stakeholders, transparency, educating the community, accountability, and open dialogue with the residents and guest of Fort Smith. But sometimes, its left them with more questions than answers. The charges to all 18 defendants are part of a large-scale, multi-state drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracy, according to a Thursday news release from the Western District. He was returned to Sebastian Country one day prior to his sentencing on Friday. The indictment alleges that the 29 people, between November 2016 and September, conspired to traffic methamphetamine and heroin, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for . But they also say drug trends were affected by economic effects of virus precautions. 14 individuals were arrested today by federal, state, and local law enforcement in Sebastian, Crawford, and Logan Counties as part of a roundup following an over year-long. Western Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma's local news leader! Investigation spanned more than year by Thomas Saccente | September 14, 2020 at 3:00 a.m. FORT SMITH -- Fourteen people were arrested by federal, state and local law enforcement in. Once a bed opens up, a drug user must recover in a different Harbor House than he would outside the pandemic. The roundup came after an investigation into methamphetamine trafficking in Sebastian, Crawford and Logan counties lasting more than a year, according to a news release from the office of David Clay Fowlkes, first assistant U.S. attorney for the Western District of Arkansas. People call me saying, Look, I need help. Fort Smith, Arkansas David Clay Fowlkes, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, Brad L. Byerley, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration and Diane L. Upchurch, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI, announced that 14 individuals were arrested today by federal, state, and local law enforcement as part of a roundup following an over year-long investigation into methamphetamine trafficking in Sebastian, Crawford, and Logan Counties in Arkansas. This investigation has dealt a serious setback to drug trafficking organizations that endanger not only our communities in the Western District of Arkansas but also other communities throughout the nation, First Assistant U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes said in the news release. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Working alongside the (Drug Enforcement Administration) and our tremendous Arkansas law enforcement partners, we are committed to dismantling criminal organizations who flood our communities with dangerous narcotics and create violence in our neighborhoods.. This is because the patient is unable to tell the paramedics if they have been exposed to the virus until after he or she has been resuscitated. A locked padlock 501-618-8000. A longer wait time for treatment can translate to more drug use as they wait to get in, Coats said. The search warrants the Drug Task Force typically executes result in the arrest of multiple drug dealers and the seizure of large quantities of drugs that would otherwise be distributed on the streets of Fort Smith and the surrounding areas. This Indictment is directly related to a previous Indictment issued in July 2020, in which four (4) additional defendants were charged in a similar methamphetamine distribution scheme. Julie Ann Pyles - age 42, Fort Smith, Arkansas sentenced October 13, 2021 to 78 months BOP, $100 special assessment, $1,400 fine for Money Laundering. Copyright 2023, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. A F0rt Smith-based drug dealer who has been arrested for over a dozen drug-related felonies in the past sixteen years in Sebastian County entered a guity plea to Possession of Methamphetamine with Purpose to Deliver and Possession of a Controlled Substance in a plea agreement with the Sebastian County Prosecutor's Office and picked up a six year sentence with an additional fourteen years suspended. The 2020 Drug Enforcement Administration National Drug Threat Assessment said the number of drug overdose deaths that could be attributed to synthetic opioids other than methadone, such as. DEA Fort Smith, AR; McAllister, OK; Atlanta, GA, FBI Fort Smith, AR; Oklahoma City, OK; Miami, FL, U.S. FORT SMITH, AR 3 DAYS AGO 5NEWS He also said the wait time could prompt drug users to use more heavily because they know they will eventually receive treatment. Read More. Acting U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas, FBI Little Rock, Special Agent in Charge JimDawson, and DEA Little Rock, Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jarad Harper made the announcement. Wright told KATV they were able to arrest 22 out of the 30 . Mounts said paramedics perform the same procedures on overdose patients as they had before the pandemic, but now with increased safety protocols. Fort Smith Police Dept. Fort Smith, AR 72901. Official websites use .gov The price of methamphetamine, the longstanding hard drug of choice, had dropped 50% from 2017 to 2019 due to supply and demand. Family visits have been prohibited. Example video title will go here for this video. The sentencings of the drug trafficking organization members are as follows: This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. Material from the Associated Press is Copyright 2023, Associated Press and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Working alongside the DEA and our tremendous Arkansas law enforcement partners, we are committed to dismantling criminal organizations who flood our communities with dangerous narcotics and create violence in our neighborhoods. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Climate [ edit] Mounts recommended family members with loved ones who are addicted to drugs have a naloxone kit on hand in case of an overdose. Multiple sheriff's deputies shot in officer-involved shooting. Alberto Ledesma age 43, Fort Smith, Arkansas sentenced October 18, 2021 to 188 months BOP, $100 special assessment and $2,900 fine for Distribution of More than Fifty (50) Grams of Methamphetamine. I want these guys to have their support systems back that are readily available, he said. FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) A Florida judge has issued an arrest warrant for rapper Kodak Black for failing a drug test while on bail for a drug charge . An official website of the United States government. He said COVID-19, which has forced people into social isolation and uncertainty about the future, has likely contributed to this significant increase. Over the last 18 months, there have been nearly 1,200 arrests related to drugs in Fort Smith ranging from juveniles to senior citizens. At the end of the day, if we dont get up and go back to work, who takes care of everybody else? Mounts said. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS 414 Parker Avenue Fort Smith Man Sentenced To Five Years For Drug Store Burglary Drug Enforcement Administration Brad L. Byerley Special Agent in Charge New Orleans @DEANewOrleans July 01, 2013 Contact: SA Debbie Webber Phone Number: (571) 362-4803 For Immediate Release Fort Smith Man Sentenced To Five Years For Drug Store Burglary Those arrested were taken into custody beginning at 8 a.m. Wednesday (Nov. 30) by Narcotic, SWAT. COVID-19 has increased the risk of all EMS calls but especially overdoses, Mounts said. Even if drug users want to recover, the obstacles they would have had to navigate anyway have been complicated even further. Marshals Service, ATF Fort Smith, AR, State & Local Agencies - Logan County Sheriffs Office, Fort Smith Police Department, Sebastian County Sheriffs Office, Greenwood Police Department, Paris Police Department, Crawford County Sheriffs Office, 12th/21st Judicial District Drug Task Force, Arkansas State Police, and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol investigated the case. Since the beginning of the pandemic in March, the wait list for beds at Harbor House has almost doubled. During the Civil War, the North met the South here with . Ive ran into a couple of people who have overdosed over the past few days, most of them accidentally, Mounts said. Perform a free Sebastian County, AR public arrest records search, including current & recent arrests, arrest inquiries, warrants, reports, logs, and mugshots. Brenda Golden Day age 36, Fort Smith, Arkansas sentenced April 1, 2021 to 60 months BOP and $100 special assessment for Distribution of More Than Five Grams of Methamphetamine. FORT SMITH (KFSM) Seventeen people have been arrested for various drug-related charges. Sentencing has not yet been scheduled. 40/29 is your source for the latest local headlines and live alerts. The sentencings of the drug trafficking organization members are as follows: WDAR Case No. Shaun Michael Easton age 40, Fort Smith, Arkansas sentenced November 9, 2021 to 108 months BOP, $100 special assessment, $900 fine for Distribution of More Than Five (5) Grams of Methamphetamine. Perform a free Fort Smith, AR public arrest records search, including current & recent arrests, arrest inquiries, warrants, reports, logs, and mugshots. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Carter is prosecuting the case for the Western District of Arkansas, with the prosecution being part of the Western District's Operation Bear Mountain Bingo, itself part of the Department of Justice's Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force program. For approximately a year between September 2019 and September of 2020, agents conducted extensive investigative activities into a large, River Valley-based drug trafficking organization led by Manuel Chuy De Jesus Perez-Echeverria. Im in a different part of the state, and youre the only people who are taking people right now, he said. Ive got people who are in treatment right now who are either here or in drug court or probation or parolees who because of the virus were not able to report to their probation officers anymore because the offices were shut down, which in turn means they were not being drug tested, which means there was no accountability there, Coats said. Like narcotics investigators and paramedics, Coats and others at Harbor House have seen drug addiction, and thus intakes, spike in the area. She was arrested for delivery and possession of meth and simultaneous possession of drugs and a. Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. Sebastian County Circuit Judge Stephen Tabor said drug testing has resumed. Fort Smith. We still have a person there who were not going to let die no matter what, Mounts said. While these protocols add additional elements to what can already be a difficult or stressful job, Mounts and his fellow paramedics do them anyway. In the event you observe activities that could be linked to illegal drug activity, you are encouraged to contact the Narcotics Detectives (479) 709-5103. Fort Smith, AR 72903 479-783-1002 www.hhsafetycenter.org Fort Smith, AR 72901. Western District of Arkansas This investigation resulted the arrest, prosecution, and imprisonment of twenty-two (22) individual drug traffickers and money launderers and the seizure of approximately 6.5 kilograms of methamphetamine, 15 firearms, and $146,687 in funds derived from drug trafficking. Smith said members of his team didnt execute as many search warrants at the beginning of the pandemic. Because of this, Harbor House personnel have taken their clients outside for recreational activities as much as they can. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. He is serving out his current sentence in the Delta Regional Unit in Dermont. Smith and others in drug enforcement have continued their drug education efforts in the schools like they did before the pandemic. All complaints regarding the accuracy of information contained in these documents should be submitted, in writing, to the Jail Administrative Office, Sebastian County Sheriff, 801 South A Street, Fort Smith AR, 72901. VAN BUREN, Ark. But COVID-19 has made their fight even tougher. Western Arkansas drug sting results in fourteen arrests in three counties. Users rely on this information at their own risk. He received six years on each felony conviction, but that time was tolled to run concurrently. COVID-19 also affected clients in the criminal justice system, Coats said. Paula Lynne Rider age 58, Fort Smith, Arkansas sentenced October 6, 2021 to 87 months BOP, $100 special assessment and a $900 fine for Conspiracy to Distribute a Mixture or Substance Containing Methamphetamine. Two people were found dead Friday in Fort Smith from apparent drug overdoses, Fort Smith police reported. First responders and investigators commonly face challenges when trying to prevent drug abuse. The local numbers reflect the statewide ones Arkansas from March through July has seen a 130% administration increase in the opioid counter agent naloxone, according to the Arkansas Drug Directors office. POSSESS FIREARMS BY CERTAIN PERSONS. Suspect in shooting of Springdale woman shot by officer after pointing gun at police, Communication program for people with nonverbal autistm coming to Fort Smith, Heavy rain and storms likely to increase Thursday across Arkansas, Storm warning fatigue | Alerting Arkansas. Their indictment was related to a similar previous indictment from which defendants Emmanual Miranda, Israel Miranda-Zapata, Brenda Golden Day and Alexis Tirado were arrested on Aug. 5. He was guiven an enhanced sentenced with a four-year add-on for being a hab otual criminal. This OCDETF operation is a joint investigation between the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), the Fort Smith Police Department, the Crawford County Sheriffs Office, the Logan County Sheriffs Office, the Sebastian County Sheriffs Office, the Greenwood Police Department, the Paris Police Department and the Arkansas State Police. Under the Search tab, select the Card Catalog and look for the title "Fort Smith, Arkansas, Criminal Case Files, 1866-1900." Select "view original image" to be taken to . Visit Northwest Arkansas' most reliable source for breaking news. Meth is commonly sold in grams to its users. Most of them will say, This truck came out or that truck came out.. Perez-Echeverria, Valdez and another defendant on or around April 16 allegedly caused a financial transaction involving interstate commerce and the proceeds of meth sales knowing the transaction was designed in whole or in part to conceal and disguise the nature, location, source, ownership and control of the proceeds of the drug deal. "We could almost expect to see this increase," Smith said. OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. F0rt Smith drug dealer, habitual offender draws 25-years in ADC after plea deal in 2021 drug arrest. Western Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma's local news leader! Philip Pevehouse. FORT SMITH, Ark. Constantly updated. FORT SMITH (KFSM) Seventeen people have been arrested for various drug-related charges. Smith in December also said perceived hopelessness contributes to drug addiction. Perez-Echeverria two days later allegedly conducted a similar transaction with Rodriguez and Pyles. The defendants 14 of whom were arrested Thursday in the Western District of Arkansas Operation Bear Mountain Bingo were arrested from an indictment with 15 counts related to meth distribution and money laundering. Day on two occasions distributed more than 5 grams of meth. OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. During arrest operations Tuesday morning, agents recovered several more ounces of methamphetamine and cocaine and approximately an additional $10,000 in suspected drug proceeds. His current sentence in the schools like they did before the pandemic, but that time was to! Enhanced sentenced with a four-year add-on for being a hab otual criminal who. Guys to have their support systems back that are readily available, he covid-19. 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