Pine Bluff police played a role in a historic gun trafficking case that resulted in a guilty plea and sentence.
Andrew Scott Pierson of Oklahoma was sentenced in federal court to 12 years in prison and three years of supervised release Thursday after admitting to conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act by trafficking firearm components to Mexican cartel members. His guilty plea in November all but capped a case that began with a call to a Pine Bluff detective by an armorer.
"I'm the guy he called," Det. Matthew Pate said after a news conference. "I went to his house, opened the box and saw those 80% receivers. It was clear on first sight something was very wrong. I contacted folks at the ATF, and it just grew from there. It's been a terrific collaboration. It's been the case of my career."
Allison Bragg, public information officer for Jonathan Ross, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, said the flow of military-grade weapons from the U.S. into Mexico allows cartels to the south to "deploy the fierce brutality and violence that they're able to use in extenuating their goals," chief among them turning the flow of illegal narcotics back into the U.S.
"That flow of illicit firearms in exchange for the flow drugs into our country is what our goal is to prevent," Bragg said, mentioning the purpose of Operation Thor's Hammer.
"Today, a United States citizen who exported death to Mexico by manufacturing firearms to two major Mexican cartels was sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment," Ross said in announcing Pierson's punishment. "This case was the first Mexican cartel firearm parts exportation and manufacturing case to be indicted in the United States."
Pierson exported firearms for Cartel del Noreste in Nuevo Laredo and Cartel Jalisco Nuevo Generacion in Guadalajara, Ross said. The defendant was also found to manufacture and repair firearms in Nuevo Laredo from 2014-18, using the parts to ship them across the border, repair firearms and convert 80% lower AR-type receivers for use by the cartels. Those receivers are considered personally made firearms, or ghost guns, Bragg explained.
"This is the part that is illegal to put across an international border," she said, demonstrating how the shell of the ghost guns are used. "When that happens, that removes the ability to have a serial number on this component of the firearm. Removing the serial number, or never applying the serial number, means the gun effectively does not exist in the eyes of law enforcement. That's what makes them a ghost gun."
The firearms were recovered from Pierson's residence in Nuevo Laredo. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Ross' office joined the PBPD in the investigation.
"One phone call can affect everything that we're trying to do," PBPD Deputy Chief Denise Richardson said.
"In our city, in our state and our country, as you know this case crossed borders to Mexico, so the magnitude of this case is astounding. All it takes is one phone call from one person who was concerned about something they know was not right in their community. It's a four-year-long case, and it just came to fruition today. We're not proud that it came through our city, but we're proud that somebody in our city saw enough that was not right to make the call and get the proper authorities involved, and we could use our federal partners to bring it to an end. It's just amazing."
A ghost gun that was used during firearm trafficking scheme is pictured following the sentencing phase of an Oklahoma man Wednesday, in Little Rock. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)