Three Hot Springs Arkansas Men Sentenced to Total of 15 Years For Drug and Firearm Offenses

            Hot Springs - Kenneth Elser, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, announced that Jerry Lee Rudkin, age 30, was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Distribution of Methamphetamine;  Jasmer West, age 26, was sentenced to 72 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Distribution of Methamphetamine;  Brian Robbins, age 34, was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release on one count of Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense.  The Honorable Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearings this week in the United States District Court in Hot Springs.

            Jerry Lee Rudkin:  According to court records, in September 2014, officers with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in Little Rock began receiving information from the 18^th East Drug Task Force that Rudkin was a distributor of methamphetamine in Hot Springs and surrounding areas. On October 8, 2014, agents made a controlled purchase of methamphetamine from Rudkin.  A federal grand jury issued an indictment for Rudkin on November 19, 2014, and he pleaded guilty to one count of Distribution of Methamphetamine on March, 27, 2015.

            Jasmer West:  According to court records, On October 2, 2014, agents with Homeland Security Investigations and the 18^th East Drug Task Force made a controlled purchase of methamphetamine from West. A federal grand jury issued an indictment for West on November 19, 2014, and he pleaded guilty to one count of Distribution of Methamphetamine on April, 23, 2015.

            Brian Robbins:  According to court records, on August 25, 2014, Homeland Security Investigations and the 18^th East Drug Task Force made a controlled purchase of methamphetamine and a.45 caliber pistol from Robbins.  On August 27, 2014, investigators executed a search warrant at Robbins’ residence based upon the drug transaction and located and seized two .22 rifles, two small bags of cocaine, and one small bag of methamphetamine. On September 9, 2014, the defendant was located and arrested. During an interview of Robbins, he admitted that all of the guns and drugs found in his house belonged to him. Robbins was charged on November 19, 2014 and pleaded guilty on June 5, 2015.

           These cases were investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the 18^th East Drug Task Force.  Assistant United States Attorney David Harris 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