Hope Woman Sentenced to Seven Years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking

            Texarkana, Arkansas - Kenneth Elser, United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, announced that Brittany Frierson, age 31 of Hope, Arkansas, was sentenced today to 84 months in federal prison followed by (3) three years of supervised release on one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. The Honorable Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Texarkana.

            According to the Plea Agreement, on June 26, 2014, agents with the Arkansas South Central Drug Task Force applied for, received, and executed a search warrant at a residence in Hope.  The warrant was based on the fact that on two occasions, law enforcement had arranged for a controlled purchase of methamphetamine from Brittany Frierson, a resident of that house.  Investigators seized digital scales and a total of 9.41 grams of a substance containing methamphetamine.  Frierson provided a statement during a post Miranda interview admitting that the methamphetamine belonged to her and stated that she had sold approximately $1,000 of methamphetamine on a weekly basis for the past three years.  The suspected substance was sent to the Arkansas State Crime Lab where it was tested and determined to be 8.86 grams of actual methamphetamine.  Frierson was indicted by a federal grand jury on February 25, 2015 and pleaded guilty to the charge on March 31, 2016.

            “Methamphetamine continues to ruin countless lives and families every day.  Frierson’s sentencing today is a reflection of our unwavering commitment to taking this drug off the streets of Arkansas,” stated SAC Diane Upchurch with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Little Rock.  “We will continue to work with the Arkansas South Central Drug Task Force and the United States Attorney’s Office in the Western District to arrest and prosecute the individuals responsible for distributing dangerous drugs to our communities. I'm grateful for the hard work of the Agents, Task Force Officers, Analysts and other personnel who contributed to this success."

            The investigation was led by the Arkansas South Central Drug Task Force and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan Ross prosecuted the case for the United States.

*  *  *    E N D    *  *  *

Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website @ www.pacer.gov