Raffael Tidwell and Jill Bradley Sentenced for Meth Distribution in Arkansas

Fort Smith, Arkansas – A gritty sentence was meted out by the federal justice system as Oklahoma’s Che Raffael Tidwell and Jill Allison Bradley faced the music for their roles in a methamphetamine distribution scheme that has left local law enforcement none too pleased.

Kenneth Elser, United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, announced the sentencing today. Tidwell, 37 years old from Pocola, Oklahoma, was handed a 60-month federal prison sentence, to be followed by three years of supervised release. His cohort, Jill Bradley, also aged 37 and hailing from the same town, received a 36-month term behind bars with an additional three years of supervision.

The sentencing hearing was presided over by the Honorable Chief Judge P.K. Holmes, III, in the United States District Court in Fort Smith. The sentence came after Tidwell and Bradley were caught in a sting operation that involved the purchase of one ounce of meth from them on January 21, 2016.

For their part, Tidwell was paid $1,000 for 28.9 grams of a substance containing a staggering 95.9% methamphetamine. Their respective pleas of guilty were entered in June 2016, following an indictment by a federal grand jury in March of that year.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office, Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, Arkansas State Police, Fort Smith Police Department, Van Buren Police Department, 12th Judicial Drug Task Force, and the 21st Judicial Drug Task Force were instrumental in the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Aaron Jennen was the lead prosecutor for the United States.

For those looking to review the related court documents, they can be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website at www.pacer.gov.