A little over a year after 70 people were charged in 40 federal drug and gun indictments in the Eastern District of Arkansas as a result of an investigation centered in Mississippi County, the first person to go to trial has been convicted.
U.S. Attorney Chris Thyer and David Shepard, assistant special agent in charge of the Little Rock field office of the FBI, announced Wednesday that a federal jury had convicted James Edward Watson Jr., 30, of Osceola on a charge of distribution of methamphetamine. Watson was convicted during a two-day trial that concluded with just 20 minutes of jury deliberation.
On Aug. 11, 2015, he and 69 other defendants were arrested in a pre-dawn roundup of suspects in northeast Arkansas as a result of an 18-month investigation, dubbed Operation Blynd Justus, that was aimed at curbing drug trafficking and gun violence in Blytheville and Mississippi County.
"A coordinated effort from multiple law enforcement agencies successfully removed dozens of violent and dangerous drug dealers from the streets of Mississippi County 13 months ago, but the work of protecting these communities continues," Thyer said in a news release Wednesday.
Most of the 70 people indicted were residents of Blytheville. Their charges included methamphetamine distribution, crack distribution and possession of a firearm by a felon.
In a news conference on the day of the arrests, when the indictments that a federal grand jury had handed up Aug. 5 were unsealed, Thyer said 574 officers, including more than 300 tactical officers, had begun executing arrest warrants at 4:15 a.m.
By the time of the afternoon news conference, 50 people had been arrested on federal charges and two others on state warrants. Some of those indicted were already in custody on other charges before the indictments were unsealed, but additional arrests followed in the coming days.
Since the initial roundup, four additional defendants have been indicted on drug charges as part of the operation, and Thyer said federal law enforcement "remains active in the area."
Watson was accused of selling 3 ounces, or 84 grams, of methamphetamine to a confidential informant Aug. 29, 2014, for $3,000. When sentenced at a later date by Chief U.S. District Judge Brian Miller, Watson faces 10 years to life in prison, with parole unavailable. The mandatory minimum sentence is partially because of an enhancement Watson will receive for having a previous drug conviction.
While Watson was the first person in Operation Blynd Justus to go to trial, 25 defendants have pleaded guilty, and eight of those have been sentenced to prison terms ranging from five months to 10 years. Three other defendants are scheduled to plead guilty Friday.
The news release says that according to Blytheville Police Chief Ross Thompson, violent crime in the city decreased in the six months after the arrests.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Benecia Moore represented the government at trial, while Little Rock attorney Lott Rolfe IV was appointed to represent Watson.
Metro on 09/15/2016