Jonesboro Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute 500 Grams or More of Methamphetamine

      LITTLE ROCK—Arthur Ray Osborne, a multi-convicted felon, will spend the next 180 months in federal prison for his role in a conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down on December 10, 2025, by United States District Judge Brian S. Miller.

      On June 18, 2025, Osborne, 44, of Jonesboro, pleaded guilty to a superseding information charging him conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. On Wednesday, Judge Miller also sentenced Osborne to five years’ supervised release.

      An investigation revealed that Osborne was actively selling large amounts of methamphetamine. On December 10, 2019, Osborne arranged for a confidential informant to purchase approximately five ounces of methamphetamine for $1,400. On December 18, 2019, Osborne sold three ounces of methamphetamine to the confidential informant for $1,400. On November 10 and again on November 11, 2020, Osborne sold almost eight ounces of methamphetamine to the confidential informant for $3,000.

      On April 11, 2022, law enforcement officers conducted surveillance on a business in Jonesboro and observed Osborn arrive in a vehicle. Officers observed marijuana in plain view at the business and because of Osborne’s nervous behavior, they obtained a search warrant for the business. During a search of the business, officers located a Taurus, model Judge, .410 firearm and five rounds of ammunition between the cushions of the couch, a red bag containing two scales, approximately 100 grams of cocaine, 159 grams of methamphetamine, 380 grams of marijuana, and over 120 assorted pills, including ecstasy. Also located during the search was a backpack with Osborne’s name on it, approximately $3,840, a bottle of Promethazine cough syrup in the kitchen area, and an assortment of ammunition was located throughout the search of the building.

      Because Osborne’s criminal history includes felony drug convictions for possession of marijuana with intent to deliver and possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute, he is classified as a career offender and received an enhanced sentence. There is no parole in the federal system.

      This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Little Rock comprises agents and officers from the FBI, Second Judicial District Drug Task Force, Jonesboro Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Arkansas.

      The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Second Judicial Drug Task Force, and the Jonesboro Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jordan Crews and Bart Dickinson.

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Additional information about the office of the

United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at

https://www.justice.gov/edar

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