Homeland Security Task Force Investigation Uncovers Methamphetamine Conspiracy that Results in New York Man Being Sentenced to More Than 11 Years in Federal Prison
LITTLE ROCK—Orlando Nembhard will spend the next 135 months in federal prison for his role in a multi-state, cross-country conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute large quantities of methamphetamine. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, by United States District Chief Judge Kristine G. Baker.
On December 3, 2024, a federal grand jury returned a five-count Indictment charging Nembhard, 34, of Mt. Vernon, New York, with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl. Nembhard’s co-defendant, Joe Brandon, of Newport, Arkansas, is awaiting jury trial and was also charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
On January 6, 2026, Nembhard pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Chief Judge Baker also sentenced Nembhard to serve five years’ supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
On May 13, 2024, Dallas, Texas, Police Department officers were working interdiction at the airport. Officers randomly deployed a K9 to perform an open-air sniff on luggage from various flights. The K9 alerted on a suitcase originating from Phoenix, Arizona, and destined for Little Rock, Arkansas. Officers removed the suitcase and discovered 10 vacuum-sealed bundles, approximately 7.6 kilograms in total, that contained white crystalline substances. The substance was tested and determined to be methamphetamine. Through an investigation, several latent prints lifted from the items identified Brandon.
Homeland Security (HSI) agents in Little Rock, Dallas, and Phoenix began an investigation into Brandon and the origin and source of the methamphetamine. The investigation revealed that the suitcase had been checked at the Phoenix airport under Nembhard’s name. The suitcase and an airline ticket for Nembhard and Brandon were connected to a credit card for Nembhard. A review of video surveillance from the Phoenix airport showed Nembhard arriving with Brandon. Nembhard and Brandon unloaded two suitcases from a vehicle. Nembhard checked the two suitcases and both he and Brandon purchased tickets to Little Rock with a connection through Dallas. While Brandon boarded the plane destined for Little Rock, Nembhard left the airport and never boarded the flight to Little Rock.
On July 24, 2024, agents conducting surveillance observed Nembhard driving Brandon to the Phoenix airport where Brandon checked a suitcase and flew back to Little Rock. At the airport in Little Rock, agents deployed a K9 to conduct an open-air sniff of several suitcases coming off the flight. The K9 alerted to a black suitcase with Brandon’s name on the tag. The bag was placed on the luggage carousel and Brandon was observed taking the bag to exit the airport. As officers approached Brandon, he ripped the name tag off the suitcase and attempted to flee but was apprehended and placed into custody. Agents conducted a search of the suitcase and located 120,000 fentanyl pills in 10 heat-sealed bags that weighed 24 pounds.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Little Rock, HSTF Dallas, and HSTF Phoenix comprises agents and officers from the Little Rock Police Department, Dallas (Texas) Police Department, and Chandler (Arizona) Police Department with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Arkansas.
The investigation was conducted by HSTF Little Rock, with assistance from HSTF Dallas, HSTF Phoenix, the Little Rock Police Department, the Dallas Police Department, and the Chandler Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bart Dickinson.
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