The last of 71 defendants indicted in the 2011 Operation Delta Blues investigation was arrested Saturday by federal agents in eastern Shelby County, Tenn.
Milton "Bump" Johnson -- who was charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, distribution of a controlled substance and use of a phone in furtherance of drug trafficking -- was captured about 9:30 a.m. Saturday, said Kevin Sanders, supervisory deputy with the U.S. Marshals Service in Little Rock.
"We had an informant who led us to him," Sanders said. "Johnson said he was glad it was over. This is the final chapter [in the case]. It's good to have this over."
The Eastern Arkansas Fugitive Task Force, along with the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Task Force, arrested Johnson with the assistance of the FBI.
Johnson, 41, was being held in the Lonoke County jail on Saturday evening. He is set to appear in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas on Monday morning.
No further details were released Saturday.
Operation Delta Blues -- a drug-trafficking and public corruption investigation centered in Helena-West Helena and Marianna -- led to an initial roundup of 51 defendants including four police officers and one former sheriff's deputy beginning in the pre-dawn hours of Oct. 11, 2011, when more than 700 federal, state and local law enforcement officers fanned out to serve arrest warrants and seize contraband.
The investigation, which resulted in a 94-count indictment, was conducted by the U.S. attorney's office; the FBI; the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division; and the Arkansas State Police.
Johnson was charged with using a telephone March 30, 2011, and April 2, 2011, to facilitate the distribution of controlled substances.
Before his arrest, Johnson was on the FBI Most Wanted list and noted for having ties to three states: Arkansas, Missouri and Tennessee. A federal warrant was issued for Johnson's arrest Oct. 5, 2011.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julie Peters, Benecia Moore and Michael Gordon.
Information for this article was contributed by Chad Day and Emily Walkenhorst of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Metro on 01/11/2015