A 21-year-old Little Rock man is facing federal charges after allegedly producing and storing ricin, one of the deadliest natural toxins known to man. Alexander Joseph Jordan was indicted Wednesday on one count of knowingly possessing ricin without required registration under the Public Health Service Act, according to Cody Hiland, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas.
Jordan was initially arrested February 27, 2018, following a 9-1-1 call reporting him in medical distress at his Horseshoe Loop residence. Paramedics rushed him to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), where he admitted to ingesting ricin. The toxin, derived from castor beans, is so potent that a dose smaller than a grain of salt can be fatal to an adult human.
At the hospital, Jordan told law enforcement he had brewed two mason jars of the substance using instructions he found online—inspired, he claimed, by the television show Breaking Bad. He described blending the ingredients together and leaving the jars and production materials at home. Authorities from the Little Rock Fire Department’s HAZMAT unit responded immediately, recovering two jars containing a white powder from the scene.
Later that day, FBI agents and the Arkansas National Guard’s 61st Civil Support Team executed a federal search warrant. They found the blender used in production, discarded in a trash can, along with an Amazon receipt for 50 castor beans and handwritten documents outlining ricin production steps. Lab tests conducted by the Arkansas Department of Health confirmed the presence of ricin in all samples.
“Jordan produced and possessed ricin, a deadly and highly toxic substance, which could have severely affected the safety of our citizens,” said Diane Upchurch, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Little Rock Field Office. “We appreciate the immediate response of our law enforcement partners and their combined and committed efforts to contain the threat and safeguard our community.”
Jordan remains in federal custody and is scheduled to appear before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. Under Title 18, United States Code, Section 175b(c), possessing a select agent like ricin carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacy Williams, with assistance from the FBI, LRFD HAZMAT, Arkansas State Police, Saline County Sheriff’s Office, Arkansas Department of Health, and UAMS Police.
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Key Facts
- State: Arkansas
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
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