Drug task force makes 1,260 arrests in state
DEA says operation began in July
More than 1,200 people accused of being drug dealers or affiliates were arrested across Arkansas over a twomonth period in an operation that authorities described Friday as “unprecedented.”
In addition to the 1,260 arrests, officers confiscated more than 200 firearms, $350,000, about 229,000 controlled prescription pills and more than 1,400 pounds of illegal drugs that included methamphetamines, cocaine, heroin and marijuana, according to Justin King, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s assistant special agent in charge.
The effort, called Operation Task Force Arkansas, began in July and involved more than 200 local, state and federal officers. Arrests were made throughout Arkansas, with no concentration of arrests in any one region of the state, King said Friday during a news conference in Little Rock.
“These arrests, they should send a strong message,” King said.
Friday’s announcement was the second in two days by Arkansas officials, after Thursday’s announcement regarding a federal indictment that named 31 defendants on 53 charges related to drugs, guns and money laundering. That multistate
effort resulted in the indictment of 19 Arkansans.
Eight people — including four Arkansans — listed in Thursday’s indictment had not been arrested and were considered fugitives as of Thursday night.
About 81 pounds of methamphetamines, 1,293 pounds of marijuana, 103 pounds of cocaine and 2 pounds of heroin have been confiscated during Operation Task Force Arkansas, King said. Officials did not disclose the types of prescription drugs that have been confiscated, but King said a large percentage of them would likely be opioids.
King said the operation included arrests of people accused of being at all levels of drug affiliates, from low-level distributors to high-level providers and traffickers, but little information has been released regarding the identities of those arrested.
The investigation is ongoing, King said, and more arrests are expected.
“Drug traffickers are not worried about the best interests of our communities,” King said. “People who bring this poison into our communities do not care about our people. … All they’re worried about is making money.”
King said the operation has “severely disrupted” drug-trafficking rings and channels that bring drugs into the state. He declined Friday to name any of the specific drug rings affected by the recent busts, but said many major drug organizations targeted in the operation have ties to Mexican cartels.
Though the vast majority of the arrests were made in Arkansas, King said the investigation led agents to surrounding states. Few details about the extent of outof-state operations were provided..
Eastern District U.S. Attorney Cody Hiland said Operation Task Force Arkansas was particularly important for rural communities affected by drug trafficking and use.
Arkansas Sheriffs’ Association Executive Director Scott Bradley said many local authorities don’t have the money or manpower to remove drug affiliates from their counties.
“I had one of my sheriffs tell me they’d arrested 13 drug dealers in a week,” Bradley said. “For that community, this is huge.”
King said the idea for the task force — which included more than 31 state and federal agencies as well as local police departments and sheriff’s offices — began as an idea from DEA.
“We all sat down and planned how we’d get this done three months before we started,” King said.
Among the departments involved were the FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Marshals, Arkansas highway and state police, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and 19 drug task forces located throughout the state.