Source: United States Department of Justice News
FAYETTEVILLE – A Springdale woman was sentenced today to 137 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Distribution of 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 March of 2021, local law enforcement began investigating a drug trafficking organization operating within the Western District of Arkansas, Fayetteville Division. Through source reporting, investigators learned that, Krystle Marie Owen, age 36, was a member of the organization.
In January of 2022, detectives with the Rogers police department conducted a controlled purchase of methamphetamine from Owen. The suspected methamphetamine was subsequently sent to the Department of Homeland Security Laboratory and tested positive. In February of 2022, investigators with the Fourth Judicial District Drug Task Force arrested Owen after she fled from detectives. Owen had just received a package containing over 1,600 fentanyl pills, which she intended to distribute. Owen was also held accountable for her role in a large-scale drug trafficking organization operating in Northwest Arkansas, which included defendants Antonio Hernandez, Michael Southerland, Troy Franklin and Skylar Houston. All were previously sentenced in Federal Court.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Fourth Judicial District Drug Task Force investigated the case, assisted by the Rogers Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Harris prosecuted the case.
This effort is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.