A Sebastian County woman indicted in 2017 after a wide-ranging investigation into a Pope County drug trafficking ring was sentenced to 10 years in prison by a federal judge in Little Rock Wednesday, to be followed by five years of supervised release.
Valerie J. Baker -- also known as Valerie French -- was indicted on charges of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine as well as drug possession and drug distribution counts by a grand jury in Little Rock along with 44 other people, most of them from Pope County. In 2019, more indictments were handed up to add 11 more defendants, and additional counts of violence in aid of racketeering and racketeering conspiracy were added. The investigation -- known as Operation "To the Dirt" -- centered around a white supremacy gang known as the New Aryan Empire, revealing its ties to drug trafficking and violence in Pope County. To the Dirt was the motto for the New Aryan Empire, which meant membership in the organization was supposed to be until death.
Although she was charged with trafficking pound quantities of methamphetamine Baker was not charged with racketeering and was not known to be involved with the New Aryan Empire in any capacity outside of its drug-trafficking activities.
Baker, 50, pleaded guilty in January 2020 before U.S. District Judge Brian Miller to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in exchange for the government's agreement to dismiss the remaining counts against her. She faced a possible sentence ranging from 10 years to life in prison and a $10 million fine. According to Baker's plea agreement, she was responsible for trafficking large quantities of methamphetamine ranging between 33 pounds and 100 pounds of the drug during the time of her involvement in the trafficking conspiracy.
Baker is the 45th defendant in the government's prosecution of the conspiracy to be sentenced for involvement. Nine more defendants are yet to be sentenced, including Marcus Millsap, 54, of Danville, the only defendant in the case to go to trial. Millsap was found guilty by a jury of conspiracy to violate RICO, aiding and abetting attempted murder in aid of racketeering and conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine after a three-week trial in September last year. He is facing the possibility of life in prison when he comes up for sentencing, a date for which has not yet been set.
Other sentences in the matter have ranged from 36 months to 35 years in federal prison.