Ricky Dwayne Moles, 57, of Harrison, Arkansas, was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison on February 27, 2018, for his role in a sprawling methamphetamine trafficking ring that poisoned communities across northern Arkansas. Moles pled guilty to one count of Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine, part of a 20-count federal indictment targeting ten individuals involved in a large-scale drug operation spanning Boone, Baxter, Searcy, Newton, Carroll, and Washington Counties.
The ring, active since early 2016, distributed multiple kilograms of methamphetamine through a network of suppliers, runners, and street-level dealers. Federal and local agencies, including the FBI and the Fourteenth Judicial District Drug Task Force, dismantled the operation during a coordinated raid in Harrison on August 17, 2017. The arrests followed a grand jury indictment returned on July 26, 2017, in the Western District of Arkansas.
Vance Lynn Parnin, Jr., 49, of Berryville, Arkansas, received 78 months in prison. Eric Lynn Friend, 40, of Harrison, and Bobby Gene Ellis, Jr., 44, of Harrison, were each sentenced to 70 months. Ricky William Akins, a/k/a “Big Rick,” 60, of Lead Hill, received 37 months. Brittnee Nicole Perkins, 27, of Harrison, was sentenced to 46 months. All received three years of supervised release.
Julia Nicole Holley, 32, of Little Rock, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison. Amy Leann Friend-Hagler, 37, of Greenbrier, avoided prison time but was handed three years of supervised release and ordered to pay a $5,000.00 fine. Each defendant pled guilty in October 2017, admitting their roles in the conspiracy.
U.S. Attorney Duane (DAK) Kees, FBI Special Agent in Charge L. Diane Upchurch, and Prosecutor David Etheredge hailed the sentences as a major blow to the region’s drug trade. “This ring flooded our small towns with deadly meth,” Kees said. “These sentences send a clear message: we will dismantle these networks and hold every link accountable.”
Chief Judge P.K. Holmes, III, presided over the sentencing hearings in Fort Smith. The case exemplifies the federal government’s aggressive stance against organized drug trafficking in rural America, where addiction and violence often follow the trail of meth. The combined sentences total more than 35 years behind bars.
Related Federal Cases
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- 15 Busted in Arkansas Meth Trafficking Ring · Washington
- 12 Busted in Meth, Heroin, Cocaine Ring Across Western WA · Washington
- Monica Hulit Sentenced in Great Falls Gun-for-Meth Ring · Washington
Key Facts
- State: Arkansas
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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