Hughes woman arrested as part of drug trafficking investigation
A Hughes woman was among 15 people arrested Tuesday as part of a law enforcement operation that targeted associates of a drug organization responsible or the distribution of methamphetamine in Northeast Arkansas.
Shauna Rutledge, 37, of Hughes was arrested along with 14 other people following an investigation that began in August 2022 to combat a significant drug distribution organization operating in the Northeast Arkansas area, according to a press release from the office of Jonathan D. Ross, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas.
Numerous indictments, which were returned by a Grand Jury on April 2, and unsealed this week, named several defendants who are charged with various drug, money laundering and firearm offenses. Law enforcement officers arrested 15 individuals and served an arrest warrant Tuesday on two defendants already in federal custody and one in state custody.
Prior to this week’s arrests, the investigation had resulted in the seizure of 45 pounds of methamphetamine, 10 pounds of marijuana, one pound of cocaine, six firearms, various ammunition and $125,000 in drug proceeds. During arrest operations on Tuesday, agents recovered additional methamphetamine, three firearms (one of which was defaced), ammunition and an additional $28,000 in suspected drug proceeds.
“So many lives and communities have been destroyed by drugs and with today’s arrests, 15 drug dealers have been taken off the streets,” said Ross. “Where drugs are present, so are firearms and violence. Working with our federal, state and local partners to keep our citizens safe from the violence that too often accompanies drug trafficking, will help to create safer communities for citizens in the Eastern District of Arkansas.”
“These arrests demonstrate how the FBI has zero tolerance for criminals who pollute our communities with dangerous narcotics,” Alicia D. Corder, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Little Rock Field Office. “This was a collaborative effort between the FBI, Jonesboro Police Department, Craighead County Sheriff's Office, Arkansas State
Police and several others. We will continue to work together to keep Arkansans safe and bring dangerous criminals to justice.”
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration, 2nd Judicial District Drug Task Force, Jonesboro Police Department, Craighead County Sheriff’s Office, Crittenden County Sheriff’s Office, Arkansas State Police, Greene County Sheriff’s Office, Poinsett County Sheriff’s Office and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.
The charges in the unsealed indictments include conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, distribution and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, conspiracy to money launder, money laundering, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
The minimum penalty for the drug charges is not less than 10 years imprisonment and a $10 million fine. The minimum penalty for possessing a firearm