Little Rock Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison After Being Convicted of Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl, Methamphetamine, Cocaine, and Marijuana

      LITTLE ROCK—A Little Rock man has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison today after a jury convicted him of committing multiple drug crimes. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down by United States District Judge James M. Moody, Jr.

      Marquis Hunt, 42, Hunt was indicted by a federal grand jury on a third superseding indictment on August 6, 2024. An investigation revealed that on July 8, 2022, a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) made contact with Hunt at a residence in southwest Little Rock. Hunt was detained while a search warrant was obtained and executed. During a search, agents located more than 1.5 pounds of methamphetamine and more than 16 pounds of fentanyl throughout the residence, as well as distributable amounts of cocaine and marijuana. Through further investigation, it was discovered that the fentanyl was distributed or sprayed on shredded vegetable material with a mixture of the prescription painkiller tramadol, which made it appear to be a form of synthetic marijuana or “K2.” During the jury trial, Hunt acknowledged selling drugs, but then denied selling the drugs located at the residence.

      After a three-day jury trial, a federal grand jury found Hunt guilty of four federal narcotics violations: possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and possession with intent to distribute marijuana.

      In addition to the 360-month prison term, Judge Moody also sentenced Hunt to five years’ supervised release, and $400 in special assessments. There is no parole in the federal system.       

      This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

      The investigation was conducted by the FBI with assistance from the Arkansas State Police and Arkansas State Crime Laboratory. The and the case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Amanda Fields and Reese Lancaster.

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Additional information about the office of the

United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at

https://www.justice.gov/edar

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