A Hot Springs man was sentenced Thursday to nine years plus three months in prison and three years of supervised release after he was convicted earlier this year on drug-trafficking and firearms charges, U.S. Attorney Conner Eldridge said in a statement.
Anthony Cornilous Jr., 22, was charged with distribution of cocaine base, possession of cocaine base with intent to deliver and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. He was indicted by a grand jury on March 19.
Eldridge said Hot Springs police made controlled purchases of crack cocaine from Cornilous from November 2013 to January 2014, and the purchased drugs tested positive for cocaine base at the state Crime Laboratory.
A search warrant was executed Feb. 24 at Cornilous’ residence, where officers found 30 grams of crack cocaine, $757 in cash, digital scales, a loaded AK-57 assault rifle and four pistols. One of the pistols had been reported stolen.
Cornilous admitted to trying to destroy evidence at the time of the search and pleaded guilty to the charges on July 8, Eldridge said.