Texarkana Men Sentenced to More Than 19 Years Combined for Roles in the Distribution of Crack Cocaine

TEXARKANA, AR—Conner Eldridge, United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, announced today that Michael Walker, 28, and Terry D. Martin, 28, both of Texarkana, Arkansas, were sentenced for their roles in the distribution of crack cocaine in Texarkana. Walker was sentenced to 13 years and four months in prison and three years of supervised release for distributing crack cocaine, and Martin was sentenced to six years and five months in prison and four years’ supervised release for possessing crack cocaine with the intent to distribute it. The sentences are the result of charges brought during Operation Stateline Sweep, a drug-trafficking investigation that took place in 2011. The Honorable Susan O. Hickey, United States District Judge, handed down the sentences in federal court in Texarkana.

Per court records, on February 17, 2011, investigators with the Bi-State Narcotics Task Force and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted a controlled purchase of crack cocaine from Walker, which took place at a location in Texarkana. On July 5, 2011, Martin was observed concealing drugs in his clothes by investigators with the Bi-State Narcotics Task Force. When officers attempted to make contact with him, he attempted to flee but was apprehended and placed in custody. During a search, investigators found baggies of drugs, and Martin later confessed to possessing and distributing crack cocaine.

Walker and Martin were originally charged on September 14, 2011, in a 190-count indictment that included 66 defendants. Walker pleaded guilty on September 18, 2012, and Martin pleaded guilty on November 15, 2012.

The case was 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 Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Quinn prosecuted the case for the United States.