But it wasnt until the vehicle was taken back to the department that the full extent of hidden narcotics was found. Twenty-seven fugitives remain after this mornings arrests. Your email address will not be published. The Brewster DTO was based out of Brewsters Used Auto and Detail shop on Forbing Road in southwest Little Rock. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS According to the indictment, Freddie Gladney III and the 34 other individuals allegedly knowingly and intentionally distributed and possessed cocaine, crack-cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana. Michael Gioelli pleaded guilty to knowingly distributing a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl with prosecutors dropping the rest of the counts against him. Further, there were numerous items used to produce, grow, cultivate, package, and sell controlled substances. An official website of the United States government. During Tuesdays arrests, officers recovered an additional AR-15 rifle. Courtney Rhodes pleaded guilty to the distribution of a controlled substance, while the. Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute less than 28 grams of crack cocaine is punishable by not more than 20 years incarceration in the Bureau of Prisons with a possible fine of up to $1,000,000, and not less than three years supervised release. 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of Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. Material from the Associated Press is Copyright 2023, Associated Press and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Three; Michael Dawkins, Rodriques Davis and Richard Beason, are still at large. Additional support was provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Homeland Security Investigations; United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); Arkansas National Guard Counterdrug Joint Task Force; and the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory. Ross said Wednesday's arrests were part of three separate -- but related -- operations, two of which were conducted by the FBI and the third by the DEA, with both organizations working in concert with state and local police in Little Rock, North Little Rock, Pine Bluff, Jonesboro and Helena-West Helena to interrupt what was described as a "pipeline" of drugs and guns moving between Pine Bluff and Little Rock. Bolen was taken to the Pulaski County jail where she is being held in lieu of $50,000 bail. The DEA's investigation found drugs were mailed from California into Arkansas in shipments that included kilogram-quantities of methamphetamine and thousands of pressed fentanyl pills, according. , These arrests represent the commitment of the U.S. According to a news report, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas said a grand jury indicted 19 . We appreciate the dedication and commitment of our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners who conducted this investigation and made these arrests., Methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl are insidious, addictive drugs that consume all who abuse them, said DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jarad Harper. 11 indicted in central Arkansas drug ring | KATV We are fortunate to have good working relationships where drug trafficking organizations such as this one are dismantled. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Rawls, 50, of Benton, was sentenced to 420 months imprisonment for his role in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine. According to the Little Rock Police. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. One FBI investigation focused on the Every Body Killas, or EBK gang, which resulted in 35 indictments, and the other focused on the Loady Murder Mobb Gang, which resulted in 26 indictments. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Chris Givens. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Arkansas drug and firearm investigations lead to 80 indictments - MSN ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. The units investigations and operations are coordinated out of FBI Little Rocks field office, and GETROCK continues to serve as the clearinghouse for gang-related law enforcement activity in Central Arkansas. The two FBI operations, each focused on a rival gang, were created to address violence and drug trafficking in the corridor between Pine Bluff and Little Rock. [], During this years competition, competitors will use their robots to simulate a waterway cleanup. According to reports, authorities underwent the. DEA agents have seized $146,000 in cash, 10 firearms, 12 pounds of methamphetamine, 1.2 kilograms of powdered fentanyl, 600 pressed fentanyl pills, 10 pounds of marijuana, and nine ounces of cocaine. Smith was booked into the Clay County Detention Center on the charge of trafficking a controlled substance. "We deeply regret the death of Kevin Collins," Ross said. Possession with the intent to distribute less than 500 grams of cocaine is punishable by not more than 20 years incarceration in the Bureau of Prisons with a possible fine of up to $1,000,000, and not less than three years supervised release. In March 2021, the FBIs GETROCK Task Force obtained a wiretap and used a total of twelve wiretaps through June 2022 as a source of real-time information to intervene and prevent violence in Pine Bluff, Little Rock, and other communities throughout the state. J. Volpe later. Tuesday, the unnamed drug interdiction deputy was patrolling along highway 67 near Searcy when he pulled over a car for a lane change violation. DEA agents arrest 13, seize drugs & gun in North Little Rock - KARK Three defendants are named in multiple indictments. Official websites use .gov Of the 80 defendants indicted in the three investigations, 8 of those were already in custody when this mornings roundup began. Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10_15_6) AppleWebKit/605.1.15 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/15.5 Safari/605.1.15, First United Methodist Church Mountain Home, Gardening in the Ozarks with Vicki Garner, Live in the Boat with Binks Guide Service. Distribution of less than 500 grams of cocaine is punishable by not more than 20 years incarceration in the Bureau of Prisons with a possible fine of up to $1,000,000, and not less than three years supervised release. 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. Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 50 kilograms but less than 100 kilograms of marijuana is punishable by not more than 20 years incarceration in the Bureau of Prisons with a possible fine of up to $1,000,000, and not less than three years supervised release. An official website of the United States government. He was taken to the Pulaski County jail but was no longer on the jail roster as of Saturday evening. Included in the indictment were several forfeiture counts which called for the forfeiture of multiple vehicles used by the Freddie Brewster organization, including the inventory of the used car shop. The FBI investigation began in January 2013. Get FBI email alerts A multiagency sweep early Wednesday involving 14 local, state and federal law enforcement agencies netted the arrests of 45 people, Assistant U.S. Attorney Allison Bragg announced at a press conference Wednesday afternoon that 45 people had been arrested on charges involved drug trafficking, weapons violations and gang activity. According to the plea agreement Rhodes signed Wednesday, in January 2019 a confidential source working with law enforcement made a recorded call to Rhodes for "the purpose of purchasing heroin or fentanyl.". More than two years after the shooting death of a Pine Bluff detective, investigative work he began led to the indictments of 80 people in central Arkansas on drug, weapons and gang activity charges, federal authorities said Wednesday. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. (KAIT) - The eight people arrested in connection with a federal and state drug bust earlier this week in Jonesboro have appeared in federal court, with an initial trial date now set. Investigation revealed the drugs were being mailed into Arkansas from California, and these shipmentswhich included kilogram-quantities of methamphetamine and thousands of pressed fentanyl pillswere then distributed to individuals in Little Rock and Pine Bluff as well as Houston, Texas. Two FBI operations, each focused on a rival gang, were created to address violence and drug trafficking in the corridor between Pine Bluff and Little Rock. All three will be sentenced at later dates. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Chris Givens. Terrell Fordson, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, while federal prosecutors dismissed two other charges. Agents made contact with these two individuals at their apartment on 3rd Street in Marmaduke. With this investigation, DEA, working with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, has taken down a drug trafficking organization responsible for bringing significant amounts of these illegal dangerous drugs into Arkansas through the U.S. Todays events provide an excellent example of the partnerships between local, county, state, and federal agencies. The FBI conducted their operations with assistance from Arkansas State Police, Arkansas Department of Community Corrections, Little Rock Police Department, North Little Rock Police Department, Pine Bluff Police Department, and Jonesboro Police Department. The investigation was conducted by the FBI, with assistance from multiple law enforcement agencies including: the Little Rock Police Department, Benton Police Department, Sherwood Police Department, Pulaski County Sheriffs Office, Arkansas National Guard, Arkansas State Police, Homeland Security Investigations, and United States Marshal Service. In December 2020, the Drug Enforcement. Prior to his death, Detective Collins was assisting FBI with intelligence related to criminal activity of these gangs, as well as surveillance, interviews, and arrests of individuals responsible for criminal activity in Pine Bluff. During the "controlled buy," Rhodes asked the confidential source, "What you got?" On June 16, 2021, Agents with Homeland Security and the Second Judicial District Drug Task Force, partnered with officers from Jonesboro Police Department, Arkansas State Police, Craighead County Sheriffs Department, Greene County Sheriffs Department, Clay County Sheriffs Department, Rector Police Department, Marmaduke Police Department, Pocahontas Police Department, and the Paragould Police Department in what started as a controlled delivery of a package of drugs from Mexico, and led into the shutdown of a 4 year long mushroom and DMT home lab and dispensary. The White County Sheriffs Office is praising the actions of a deputy after millions of dollars worth of narcotics were discovered during a traffic stop. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. Eight plead not guilty in federal, state drug bust in Jonesboro - KAIT A third operation, led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), began in August 2021 when the North Little Rock Police Department identified street-level methamphetamine and fentanyl. Copyright 2023, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. (Prince Williams/Wireimage). LITTLE ROCKThree federal investigations culminated in 45 arrests this morning. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. The AP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing. Three federal investigations focused on the drug and firearm pipeline in Arkansas came to a head on Wednesday morning when 80 indictments were unsealed and 45 arrests were made, which included. "We won't stop until we have all of them in custody.". Local authorities reported receiving citizen complaints about drug trafficking and gunshots at these locations. Todays arrests are the culmination of a long term collaboration between the Little Rock, Benton, and Sherwood Police Departments, as well as the Pulaski County Sheriffs Department, U.S. Thousands of arrests made in $55 million drug bust | thv11.com Three more defendants, Quincy Martez Chambers, Deandreian Devonte Meadows, and Joseph Riggins, Jr., are charged separately in stand-alone indictments. As a part of his guilty plea Wednesday, Gioelli admitted the amount of fentanyl he distributed was between eight and 16 grams. Following a three-day trial and after one hour of deliberation, the jury convicted Jemel Foster, 32, of four federal drug and firearm crimes, including distribution of fentanyl that resulted in death. Main Office: Work of slain Pine Bluff detective leads to 80 indictments for drug Unfortunately, its getting to be the norm, Lane said. The DEA Little Rock Office was assisted by the DEA Riverside, California office, United States Postal Inspection Service, North Little Rock Police Department, Sherwood Police Department and Benton Police Department. The DEAs investigation found drugs were mailed from California into Arkansas in shipments that included kilogram-quantities of methamphetamine and thousands of pressed fentanyl pills, according to the press release. DEA agents arrest 13, seize drugs & gun in North Little Rock - KARK This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute more than 28 grams but less than 280 grams of crack cocaine is punishable by not less than five years, not more than 40 years incarceration in the Bureau of Prisons with a possible fine of up to $5,000,000, and not less than four years supervised release. (Prince Williams/Wireimage). An investigative focus on the pipeline of drugs and firearms between Pine Bluff and Little Rock resulted in the indictment of 80 individuals, all charged with various federal firearms and drug trafficking charges in multiple indictments that were unsealed today. Agencies make large bust after mailed drugs intercepted Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital. Two FBI operations, each focused on a rival gang, were created to address violence and drug trafficking in the corridor between Pine Bluff and Little Rock. Before Wednesdays DEA arrests, investigators seized $146,000 in cash, 10 firearms, 12 pounds of methamphetamine, 1.2 kilograms of powder fentanyl, 600 pressed fentanyl pills, 10 pounds of marijuana, and nine ounces of cocaine. Three Federal Operations in Pine Bluff and Little Rock Lead to Dozens The maximum penalty for being a felon or an unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm is 10 years' imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. "Kevin really worked hard at his job and being a police officer," Hobbs said. Police lights are shown in this file photo. A press release from the drug task force detailed a large interagency drug bust this week in NEA. North Little police arrest man carrying over $175,000 worth of drugs, guns Authorities arrested 33-year-old Michael Hall for outstanding warrants. At that time, officers noticed marijuana in plain view and placed Tylor Clairday and Amber Smith under arrest for the trafficking charge. Rhodes told the confidential source to meet him in the John Barrow area of Little Rock. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anne Gardner. The indictment was handed down by a Federal Grand Jury on . In addition, agents seized more than nine ounces of crack cocaine and more than 165 pounds of marijuana. U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Arkansas, Methamphetamine, Firearms Recovered from North Little Rock Drug Ring, Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee (LECC), "Operation Hartbreak Kid" Results in Thirteen Arrests, 35 Years In Federal Prison for Convicted Cocaine Trafficker, Operation "Candyland" Leads to Multiple Drug Arrests in Marianna and Forrest City, Little Rock Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Distributing Fentanyl That Resulted in Death. Kevin Collins, who was shot to death Oct. 5, 2020 as he attempted to serve an arrest warrant on a known member of the EBK street gang. The drugs were then distributed to individuals in Little Rock and Pine Bluff, Arkansas, as well as Houston, Texas. Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use. Lock From a video recorded inside the confidential source's vehicle, Rhodes can be seen pulling out a large plastic bag with an "off white" substance containing a heroin/fentanyl mixture. PressReader. Little Rock police arrested a woman on drug-trafficking charges Thursday afternoon after finding more than 1,000 tablets of Xanax at a West Markham Street residence, according to an arrest. North Little man arrested carrying $175,000 worth of drugs, guns - KTHV GEORGIA MAN ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY STEALING $50K FROM ELDERLY WOMAN, POSSESSION OF GUNS AND MARIJUANA, Rapper Bankroll Freddie attends his Birthday Party at Onyx Nightclub on April 7, 2021 in Atlanta. Named after lead defendant Derrick Hart, 27, of North Little Rock, this operation targeted drug distribution in the North Little Rock area. Eastern District of Arkansas | Central Arkansas Drug Organization Kelley pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl in February. During the arrest, authorities found guns and. All rights reserved. ARKANSAS, USA Arkansas State Police (ASP) have arrested 22 people in connection to an alleged narcotics operation in St. Francis County. Deputies: Drugs found stashed in Little Debbie box during Arkansas We are proud of this partnership which remains focused on dismantling the violent criminal enterprises which attempt to root their networks within our communities, said Special Agent In Charge David T. Resch of the FBI Little Rock Field Office. We greatly appreciate the FBI and their continued support for this critical mission, said Chief Kenton Buckner of the Little Rock Police Department. He has a lot of things that he looks for to pick up on people that may be trafficking, explained Lt. Scott Seiders with WCSO. LITTLE ROCKThirteen people will appear in federal court today after being arrested Tuesday morning as part of "Operation Hartbreak Kid.". Dubbed Operation Candyland, this investigation by the FBI, Arkansas Eastern District of Arkansas Courtney Rhodes pleaded guilty to the distribution of a controlled substance, while the U.S. government dismissed three other charges. Three men pleaded guilty in two separate fentanyl cases in federal court in Little Rock on Wednesday. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Chris Givens and Benecia Moore. Fax Line:(501) 340-2728. Three more defendants, Quincy Martez Chambers, Deandreian Devonte Meadows, and Joseph Riggins, Jr., are charged separately in stand-alone indictments. FBI.gov is an official site of the U.S. Department of Justice, Christopher Lamont JONES, 41, Little Rock, Ladeitrick HAMPTON, 33, North Little Rock, Willie Joseph TYLER, JR., 37, Little Rock, Rodriques DAngelo DAVIS, 30, Little Rock, Christina Akins BREWSTER, 27, Little Rock. Fax Line:(501) 340-2728. The release says authorities seized about 16.2 pounds of cocaine, 7.7 pounds of marijuana, 13 firearms and $9,540. That indictment named an additional 18 defendants. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Rapper Bankroll Freddie attends his Birthday Party at Onyx Nightclub on April 7, 2021 in Atlanta. Authorities arrested Michael Hall and during the arrest police found nearly two handguns, digital scales, suboxone, marijuana, and nearly 2-lbs of fentanyl in his possession that's valued at roughly $175,520 according to reports. Javier Rodela and Alejandro Flores of El Paso Texas were charged with trafficking a controlled substance and are being held in the White County Detention Center on $400,000 bonds. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. with the source replying "I need two of em," meaning two grams of heroin/fentanyl, according to the plea agreement. Most of the defendants who were arrested this morning will appear at a later date for arraignment before United States Magistrate Judge Joe J. Volpe. Most of the defendants who were arrested this morning will appear at a later date for arraignment before United States Magistrate Judge Joe J. Volpe. During the investigation, Hart and Tetus Jenkins, 43, of North Little Rock, were identified as the sources of supply to more than eight other individuals. On October 25, 2021, three separate . WDAR Case No. Twenty-seven fugitives are still not in custody, as of Wednesday morning, and those who were arrested were scheduled to appear for arraignment by U.S. Magistrate Judge Joe. Little Rock agencies seize 'copious amounts' of meth, fentanyl - MSN The drugs tested positive for opiates and are believed to be fentanyl. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. "The most violent offenders, the most violent groups in the most violent places," Ross said, "these are our priorities.". The third investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, or DEA, which began in August 2021 after the agency and North Little Rock Police Department identified street-level methamphetamine and fentanyl dealers in central Arkansas, who were connected to the same source of supply as the rival gangs. This organization used the mail system to evade detection in order to facilitate their operation. Before todays DEA arrests, investigators seized $146,000 in cash, 10 firearms, 12 pounds of methamphetamine, 1.2 kilograms of powder fentanyl, 600 pressed fentanyl pills, 10 pounds of marijuana, and nine ounces of cocaine. The investigations focused on rival gangs responsible for violence throughout central Arkansas, with one operation focused on the EBK or Every Body Killas gang and resulting in the indictment of 35 defendants. Western District of Arkansas | River Valley Group Sentenced To Over 206 This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at. Manuel Taylor was charged in a separate indictment. Pine Bluff Police Detective Kevin Collins was shot and killed in October 2020 while serving an arrest warrant on an EBK associate wanted for a homicide in Georgia.