Noel, Missouri Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking

FAYETTEVILLE – A Noel, Missouri man was sentenced today to 180 months in prison followed by three 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, on March 18, 2022, officers with the Sulphur Springs Police Department responded to the area of North Highway 59 to assist deputies from the McDonald County Sheriff’s Office in Missouri in the pursuit of Trevor Dean Meeker, age 31. While enroute to the area, the Sulphur Springs officers received notification that the suspect vehicle, operated by Meeker, wrecked out at the Dollar General Store located in Sulphur Springs.,

Upon arrival at the Dollar General, officers observed that the vehicle driven by Meeker went through a privacy fence owned by Dollar General and wrecked out near the entrance of the business. A search of the vehicle, resulted in officers locating a small backpack in the front passenger seat, which contained what appeared to be a large amount of methamphetamine, along with numerous plastic baggies and various counterfeit bills. As officers continued to search the scene of the crash, they located a black bag in the parking lot near the vehicle. Inside the bag officers located two loaded firearms.

On March 31, 2022, a Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force Officer conducted an interview of Meeker at the Benton County Jail. After being advised of and waiving his Miranda rights, Meeker admitted to knowledge of the methamphetamine and firearms seized on March 18, 2022. Meeker further admitted to being involved in the distribution of methamphetamine.

The suspected methamphetamine was sent to the Drug Enforcement Administration Laboratory in Miami, Florida, where it tested positive for 173 grams of actual methamphetamine.

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

The Sulphur Springs Police Department, the McDonald County, Missouri, Sheriff’s Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration Fayetteville Division investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney David Harris prosecuted the case.

This case is 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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.