Four Defendants Sentenced to a Total 377 Months in Prison in Operation Stateline Sweep

TEXARKANA, AR—Conner Eldridge, United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, announced that four defendants were sentenced this week as a result of charges brought during Operation Stateline Sweep, a drug trafficking investigation that took place in 2011. All but one of the individuals sentenced were part of a 190-count indictment filed in September 2011 that named 66 defendants. The Honorable Susan O. Hickey presided over the cases in federal court in Texarkana, Arkansas.

United States Attorney Eldridge commented, “The prosecution of criminal investigations that involve a large number of defendants takes time and perseverance. We will continue to make progress on the charges brought as a result of Operation Stateline Sweep until every defendant has been brought to justice.”

Ulysses McClinton, age 33 of Texarkana, Arkansas, was sentenced Tuesday to 57 months in prison without the possibility of parole and three years of supervised release. McClinton pleaded guilty on September 18, 2012, to distributing 27 grams of crack cocaine. The indictment states that the charged conduct occurred on September 22, 2010.

Donte Williams, age 43 of Texarkana, Texas, was sentenced Tuesday to 140 months in prison without the possibility of parole and three years of supervised release. Williams originally pleaded guilty to distribution of crack cocaine and use and carry of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime on April 27, 2012. According to the indictment, the charged conduct occurred on April 5 and April 28, 2011.

Emmanuel Baker, age 22 of Texarkana, Arkansas, was sentenced Wednesday to 60 months in prison without the possibility of parole and three years of supervised release for using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. Baker originally pleaded guilty on September 18, 2012. The indictment states that the charged conduct occurred on January 28, 2011.

Anthony Morine, age 43 of Texarkana, Texas, was sentenced Wednesday to 120 months in prison without the possibility of parole and eight years of supervised release for distributing more than 28 grams of crack cocaine within 1,000 feet of a public housing authority facility. Morine was originally charged in a one count indictment on March 7, 2012. The indictment states that Morine distributed crack cocaine on September 2, 2011, near Ingram Homes in Texarkana. Morine pleaded guilty to the charge on August 31, 2012.

The cases were investigated by the Bi-State Narcotics Task Force, which is composed of representatives of the Texarkana Arkansas Police Department, the Texarkana Texas Police Department, the Miller County Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI. Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Quinn is prosecuting the cases for the United States.