Brothers plead guilty in drug-ring case

Twins were indicted in 2019 over fentanyl, heroin distribution based in LR

A reporter holds up an example of the amount of fentanyl that can be deadly after a news conference about deaths from fentanyl exposure at the headquarters of the Drug Enforcement Administration in Arlington, Va., in this June 6, 2017 file photo. (AP/Jacquelyn Martin)
A reporter holds up an example of the amount of fentanyl that can be deadly after a news conference about deaths from fentanyl exposure at the headquarters of the Drug Enforcement Administration in Arlington, Va., in this June 6, 2017 file photo. (AP/Jacquelyn Martin)

Twin brothers indicted in 2019 as part of a fentanyl distribution ring authorities said was headquartered in Little Rock pleaded guilty this week before U.S. District Judge Kristine G. Baker.

Andrew Zuerlein and Matthew Zuerlein, both of Little Rock, were indicted in 2019 on narcotics conspiracy charges along with 21 other people as part of a fentanyl and heroin distribution ring purportedly run by Clifton Williams of Little Rock. Both men were scheduled to enter pleas in July but Baker refused to accept pleas after both men tested positive for THC prior to their hearings.

On Wednesday, Andrew Zuerlein pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute between 40 grams and 160 grams of fentanyl supplied by Williams in and around Little Rock. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine when he is sentenced early next year.

His brother, Matthew Zuerlein, pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of using a telephone in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, for which he faces a maximum penalty of four years in prison and a $250,000 fine. In his plea agreement, Matthew agreed that he was responsible for between four and eight grams of the drug.

According to court records, in June 2018, the FBI began investigating Williams, who was reputed to be a large-scale supplier of fentanyl and heroin in Central Arkansas. In September 2018 an FBI tap on Williams’ phone revealed that Williams was supplying both men with fentanyl for personal use and for distribution to others, according to the records. The records indicated that Andrew Zuerlein often drove Williams around Little Rock to deliver fentanyl to his customers and that Matthew Zuerlein often contacted Williams to purchase varying amounts of fentanyl for his own personal use and to distribute to others.

During a three-week period during which the wiretap was active Matthew was intercepted in over 117 calls to Williams seeking to buy fentanyl in quantities of one gram, a half-gram, and tenths of a gram, records showed. Andrew was intercepted in more than 283 calls and texts to Williams, seeking to buy fentanyl in like quantities for his own personal use and for distribution to others, said the records.

The drug ring that authorities said was run by Williams was one of three operating in and around Central Arkansas that were broken up at about the same time. Authorities said other two were run by Desmond Kelley, 29, and Monterrio “Money” Fuller, 34, both of Little Rock. Williams is also from Little Rock.

Separate indictments in all three cases were handed up by a federal grand jury on the same day, Oct. 2, 2019, and accounted for a total of 39 people indicted on drug conspiracy counts related to distribution of fentanyl in central Arkansas.

To date, 12 of the 23 defendants indicted in the case have been sentenced to terms ranging from time served to 37 months in prison for their roles in the conspiracy. Charges against three defendants were dismissed. Seven defendants, including the Zuerlein brothers, have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. One defendant, Gabriel Ellington, is scheduled to go to trial December 12.

Fentanyl is a powerful but cheap synthetic painkiller that is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine and has been blamed for thousands of drug overdose deaths across the U.S. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, as little as 2 milligrams of fentanyl can prove lethal in humans.

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