Trio Sentenced to 17 Years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking

            Fayetteville, Arkansas - Kenneth Elser, United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, announced that three defendants were sentenced to federal prison last week for drug trafficking. Santiago Salinas (aka Chuco), age 47, of Commerce, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 151 months followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay a $3,000 fine on one count of Delivery of More than 50 Grams of a Mixture of Methamphetamine. Co-Defendant, Misty Macell Wilson (aka Molly Rockstar), age 46 of Bentonville, was sentenced to 34 months followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine. Co-Defendant, Melissa Marie Myers, age 31 of Bentonville, was sentenced to 27 months followed by one years of supervised release on one count of Knowingly Using a Communication Facility in a Drug Trafficking Crime. The Honorable Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearings in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.

            According to court records, on May 3, 2016, during a controlled purchase arranged by law enforcement, Santiago Salinas and his co-defendant Misty Wilson, sold seven (7) ounces of methamphetamine to a confidential source. When the transaction was complete, Salinas and Wilson engaged in talk with the confidential source about future meth deals between them. Later testing at the Arkansas State Crime Lab confirmed the meth to be a gross weight of 220 grams.

            Misty Wilson was present on two other occasions when meth was sold to the confidential source. After waiving her Miranda rights, she admitted obtaining meth in the past from Salinas, to wiring money to him in Oklahoma to pay for meth, and to selling meth she had obtained from him. The government forfeited more than $20,000 in cash stemming from this case.

            In April, 2016, Melissa Myers was observed leaving the residence of co-defendant Misty Wilson and was stopped by Bentonville Police Department for committing a traffic offense. During the traffic stop, she was arrested for being in possession of methamphetamine and was found to have a larger amount of methamphetamine concealed on her person when she arrived at the jail. A search of her telephone revealed that she had been in contact with co-defendant Salinas on 112 occasions between March 23 and April 6, 2016 and that some of the texts on her phone were to arrange for drug transactions with him. After waiving her Miranda rights, she admitted that she was a seller of meth supplied by Salinas and that she used her cell phone to communicate with him and arrange for drug transactions with him.

            Salinas, Wilson, and Myers were indicted by a federal grand jury in June, 2016. Salinas pleaded guilty in August, 2016 and Wilson and Myers pleaded guilty in September, 2016.

            “Methamphetamine is a highly addictive poison that destroys countless lives in communities throughout the United States. Through unprecedented partnerships with federal and local enforcement, we are making major progress in preventing methamphetamine trafficking from taking hold in our communities. This investigation is a compelling example of that success”, stated DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Matthew Barden.

            This case was investigated by the Homeland Security Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration, Rogers Police Department, Bentonville Police Department, Benton County Sheriff’s Office, and Madison County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Brandon Carter 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