A man from Baxter County, identified as Michael Steven Benedict, has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison. The sentence includes a subsequent five-year supervised release period. Benedict was convicted on charges of distributing more than fifty grams of actual methamphetamine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey delivered the sentence at the United States District Court in Hot Springs.
Court documents reveal that from January to May 2021, Special Agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Hot Springs Police Department's Special Investigations Division conducted several controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Benedict, who is 45 years old. On April 21, 2021, agents executed a controlled purchase involving methamphetamine, four stolen firearms, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition from him. The DEA Southeast Laboratory confirmed that the seized methamphetamine amounted to 361.03 grams.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes for the Western District of Arkansas. The investigation was carried out by the DEA and the Hot Springs Police Department's Special Investigations Division, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Achorn prosecuting the case.
This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) initiative aimed at identifying and dismantling high-level criminal organizations threatening the United States through a collaborative approach involving multiple agencies.
For more information about OCDETF operations, visit https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.