JONESBORO, Ark. — A federal judge sentenced Rickey Allen Brown, 56, of Brookland, to 12 years in prison Thursday, Nov. 12, after Brown pleaded guilty to two methamphetamine charges.
U.S. District Judge D.P. Marshall Jr. imposed the 144-month sentence and ordered Brown to serve five years of supervised release afterward. The federal system has no parole, according to the announcement from U.S. Attorney Jonathan D. Ross of the Eastern District of Arkansas.
Brown pleaded guilty on May 2, 2025, the same day federal prosecutors filed a superseding information charging him with one count of distributing methamphetamine and one count of possessing it with intent to distribute. Each count involved at least 50 grams but less than 500 grams of methamphetamine.
Controlled Buy and Traffic Stop
On Dec. 27, 2021, a confidential informant paid Brown $700 for two bags of methamphetamine during a controlled buy at Brown’s home in Brookland, prosecutors said. The informant turned over more than 50 grams of methamphetamine to law enforcement officers. A Drug Enforcement Administration laboratory found the methamphetamine was 100% pure.
On Jan. 27, 2022, officers watching a house they had identified as a drug house saw Brown park a Kia Optima on the street and go inside. He stayed briefly. As he walked back to the car, officers thought he appeared to be trying to conceal something, prosecutors said. Officers pulled him over after seeing him commit traffic violations.
During the stop, officers said Brown was sweating heavily, his hands were shaking and they smelled marijuana. They found two bags of methamphetamine in Brown’s pocket. A search of the car turned up a canvas bag under the driver’s seat containing about 110 grams of methamphetamine that was 100% pure, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said Brown’s prior convictions include possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to use, second-degree stalking, manufacturing methamphetamine, third-degree domestic battery, first-degree assault, second-degree assault on a family or household member and terroristic threatening.
Homeland Security Task Force
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the prosecution was part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established under Executive Order 14159, “Protecting the American People Against Invasion.”
The initiative brings together federal, state and local agencies to investigate and prosecute crimes involving cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations and human smuggling and trafficking networks operating in the United States and abroad. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said those groups have contributed to violence and instability in the United States. It said the initiative prioritizes child trafficking and other crimes involving children and uses available law enforcement tools to prosecute and remove the most violent noncitizen offenders.
The Little Rock task force includes agents and officers from the FBI, Arkansas State Police, the Second Judicial Drug Task Force and the Craighead County Sheriff’s Office. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Arkansas leads prosecutions.
The FBI investigated Brown’s case with assistance from the Second Judicial Drug Task Force, the Craighead County Sheriff’s Office and Arkansas State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin O’Leary prosecuted the case.
SHARE THIS STORY WITH OTHERS:
Discover more from NEA Report
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
