Meth Run Lands West Texas Man in Federal Prison

TEXARKANA, AR – Ray Cornelius Calvert, 43, of El Paso, Texas, will spend the next 14 years behind bars after being sentenced yesterday for trafficking methamphetamine through Arkansas. Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey handed down the 168-month sentence, followed by five years of supervised release, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas.

The bust went down on September 28, 2020, when an Arkansas State Trooper pulled over a rental vehicle on Interstate 30 in Hempstead County. Calvert was driving, with Anita Marie Hughes, 47, as his passenger. Hughes gave consent for a search, revealing approximately 1.5 pounds of *pure* methamphetamine stashed inside. The pair was hauling the drugs to Memphis, Tennessee, with clear intent to distribute.

But the Arkansas arrest wasn’t Calvert’s first brush with federal charges. Court records show he was already on pre-trial release for a separate federal methamphetamine indictment in another state when troopers found the stash. Clearly, a prior indictment wasn’t enough to keep him off the road pushing poison.

Calvert pleaded guilty on July 21, 2023, to Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute. Hughes, his accomplice, previously copped a plea and received a 72-month sentence in January 2022, also followed by five years of supervised release. It appears she got a break for cooperating – or perhaps just luck.

“This sentence sends a clear message that drug trafficking will not be tolerated in Arkansas,” stated U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes. The investigation was a joint effort between the Arkansas State Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Graham Jones handling the prosecution. These agencies continue to work tirelessly to stem the flow of narcotics through the state.

For those seeking further details, related court documents are available on the Public Access to Electronic Records website at www.pacer.gov. Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and report on the ongoing fight against drug trafficking in the region.

RELATED: USP-Atlanta Inmate Cody Todd Gets 6+ Years for Brutal Assault

RELATED: Gene James Gets 17+ Years for Uber Driver Carjacking, Shooting