Fort Smith Man Sentenced to 100 Months in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking

            Fort Smith, Arkansas - Kenneth Elser, United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, announced that Mohammed Abed Joudeh, II age 28, of Fort Smith, was sentenced today to 100 months in federal prison to run concurrent with any undischarged state sentence followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Possession With Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. The Honorable Chief Judge P. K. Holmes, III presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fort Smith.

            According to court records, on or about July 12, 2016, Fort Smith police officers assisted Arkansas Parole officers in the search of a residence in Fort Smith where Mohammed Joudeh lived with his mother. Officers made contact with Joudeh and entered the residence. Upon searching the residence, officers seized approximately three grams of methamphetamine hidden in an air vent in the bedroom. After being arrested and placed in the patrol car, Joudeh stated that he was worried about his mother being charged for the drugs and said there were three ounces and a .38 caliber revolver under his mother’s bed. Officers located a loaded Smith and Wesson .38 caliber revolver and a safe containing zip lock bags with approximately 156 grams of methamphetamine, digital scales, and $100 cash. In the living room chair where Joudeh had been sitting, they found $4,243 banded together in $1,000 increments. Searching further, they located a drug ledger with initials and dollar amounts written next to the initials, another set of digital scales, and two loaded .38 caliber magazines.

            Joudeh was named in a federal indictment in August of 2016 and pleaded guilty to the charge in October of 2016.

            This case was investigated by the Fort Smith Police Department and the Arkansas Department of Probation and Parole. Assistant United States Attorney Candace Taylor prosecuted the case for the United States.

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Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website @ www.pacer.gov