Zachary Cook, Methamphetamine Trafficking, Arkansas 2019

Fayetteville Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Federal Prison for Methamphetamine Trafficking

FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS – A 27-year-old man has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for his role in a methamphetamine trafficking ring in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Zachary Cook was sentenced to 168 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, according to a statement from Duane (DAK) Kees, United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas.

The sentence was handed down by The Honorable Timothy L. Brooks in the United States District Court in Fayetteville, following a guilty plea by Cook in June 2019.

Cook was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2019, after an investigation by the Fourth Judicial Drug Task Force, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Benton County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit revealed evidence of drug distribution at his residence.

According to court records, surveillance began on Cook’s residence in January 2019, after investigators received information that he was expecting to receive methamphetamine and heroin deliveries. A search of the residence and a vehicle owned by a visitor to the property revealed approximately 29 grams of actual methamphetamine.

Cook had previously been convicted of a felony and had a valid search waiver on file, allowing officers to approach him while he was sitting in the passenger seat of the vehicle. He was arrested and charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, and subsequently entered a guilty plea to the charge.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Amy Driver, who praised the work of the investigators and law enforcement agencies involved in the case.

The sentence handed down to Cook is the latest in a series of high-profile convictions for methamphetamine trafficking in the Western District of Arkansas. The case serves as a reminder of the serious consequences of involvement in the illicit drug trade, and the commitment of law enforcement agencies to disrupting and dismantling these networks.

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