Buddy Lee Harris, Methamphetamine Trafficking, Arkansas 2020

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Hot Springs Man Sentenced to Over 7 Years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking and Firearms Possession

A Pearcy man, Buddy Lee Harris, 42, has been sentenced to 90 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Distribution of Methamphetamine and one count of Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime.

The sentencing hearing took place in the United States District Court in Hot Springs, Arkansas before the Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey. The investigation into the case was led by the 18th Judicial Drug Task Force, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations Little Rock and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

The investigation began in the fall of 2019, when detectives launched an investigation into drug trafficking in the Western District of Arkansas. In August of 2019, detectives conducted a controlled purchase of methamphetamine and a firearm from Harris.

Harris was indicted by a federal grand jury in November of 2019 and entered a guilty plea in May of 2020.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program aimed at reducing violent crime and making neighborhoods safer. The PSN program was reinvigorated in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals.

Assistant United States Attorney Bryan Achorn and Special Assistant United States Attorney Trent Daniels prosecuted the case for the Western District of Arkansas. This sentence is a significant blow to the community, as it holds accountable those who engage in destructive and violent behavior.