Convicted Felon Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking while on Parole

FAYETTEVILLE – A previously convicted felon living in Rogers was sentenced today to 180 months in prison without the possibility of parole followed by five additional years of supervised release on one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.

According to court documents, in late 2020, agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) conducted an undercover investigation into large-scale methamphetamine trafficking in Northwest Arkansas. During the investigation, an informant, working at the direction of the DEA, made a controlled purchase of methamphetamine directly from Francisco Trujillo, age 26. On or about December 3, 2021, DEA agents, along with representatives from Arkansas Probation and Parole, preformed a home compliance check on Trujillo, who was on parole based on a previous felony conviction. During the search, agents located approximately four (4) pounds of methamphetamine.

Trujillo was subsequently charged in federal court via Grand Jury with drug trafficking and possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking. On or about August 15, 2022,  Trujillo pleaded guilty to possessing the nearly four (4) pounds of methamphetamine and intending to distribute it.

U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and Arkansas State Probation and Parole investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Roberts prosecuted the case.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.