Terry Duane Qualls, a multi-convicted felon from Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, has been sentenced to 262 months in federal prison. The sentence was announced by Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and delivered by United States District Judge Lee P. Rudofsky.
Qualls, aged 37, pleaded guilty on September 20, 2024, to charges including possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and being a felon in possession of firearms. He was indicted on April 5, 2024, facing multiple counts related to drug distribution and firearm possession.
In addition to his prison term, Qualls received five years of supervised release. Federal sentences do not allow for parole.
The investigation into Qualls began in the spring of 2021 when law enforcement identified him as a distributor of various drugs in northeast Arkansas. Subsequent arrests led to the discovery of drugs and drug proceeds in his possession. A search warrant executed at his residence uncovered stolen vehicles and a marijuana grow operation.
Inside Qualls' camper, authorities found 26 firearms along with body armor and ammunition. They also seized significant quantities of methamphetamine, marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy, suboxone, LSD, mushrooms, alprazolam, clonazepam, THC wax, sudephedrine tablets, steroids, syringes, digital scales, pipes, and a marijuana grinder.
Qualls was sentenced as both a career offender on drug charges and an armed career criminal on gun charges due to his extensive criminal history.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation aimed at dismantling high-level criminal organizations through a coordinated approach involving multiple agencies. The investigation involved the Federal Bureau of Investigation with support from local law enforcement agencies including the Second Judicial Drug Task Force and sheriff's offices in Greene and Craighead counties as well as the Jonesboro Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Erin O’Leary prosecuted the case.