Task forced seized more than $195 million in drugs last year

SEARCY — Mushroom candy bars and root beer THC are drug trends continuing to be seen, according to Central Arkansas Drug Task Force Commander John Sowell.

“You can’t help but feel like that is targeting young people and kids when they put it in root beer and candy bars,” Sowell said at the quarterly meeting of the CADTF last week.

He noted that as far as candy presentation, officers still see it sometimes with color of methamphetamine and fentanyl pills. “Some of the fentanyl pills are like rainbowcolored and we have seen some of those here locally in the past year or so.”

For the year, the CADTF seized 600 mushroom candy bars, 16 cans of cannabis root beer, 12,444 total counterfeit fentanyl pills and 2,716 other pills. During the October-December quarter, 2,725.5 counterfeit fentanyl pills were seized and 63.5 other pills.

The CADTF also seized 685.892.7 grams of THC gummies.

The quarterly stats also show seizures of 11,441.9 grams of methamphetamine/amphetamine/ ice, 317,278.4 grams of marijuana, 281 marijuana plants, 562,987.4 grams of cocaine, 659.3 grams of powdered fentanyl, 33 grams of crack cocaine, 58.7 grams of mushrooms, 14.7 grams of MDMA, 3 grams of heroin and 3.9 grams of counterfeit meth.

The value of the drugs that were seized was $95,401,191.

There were 94 total investigations and assignments, including 92 new cases. Fifty-two of the investigations were cleared by arrest and 48 charges were pending. For the quarter, there were four overdoses, with three Narcan administrations, two deaths and two saves. The CADTF also seized $2,142 in cash and 12 weapons and served 15 search warrants.

For 2024, the value of the drugs seized came to $195,347.203 and the amount of currency seized was $1,080,544.

There were 374 new cases and seven special assignments/ assists to other agencies. There were 12 overdoses, eight Narcan administrations, four deaths and five saves.

Methamphetamine/amphetamine/ ice totaled 140,980 grams; marijuana 1,770,181 grams; cocaine 665,777 grams; crack cocaine 33 grams; MDMA 546,932.5 grams; powdered fentanyl

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3,219.2 grams; vape cartridges 8,990; mushrooms 150.8 grams; edibles 509 packages; THC wax 340.2 grams; promethazine 678 pints; promethazine with codeine 10 pints; heroin 3 grams; morphine 1 gram; THC liquid 46 grams; acid 2 hits; THC gummies 685,892.7 grams; marijuana plants 281; counterfeit meth 6.5 grams; clonazepam powder 1.6 grams; and untaxed cigarettes 2,794.

There were 49 search warrants served, 105 weapons seized and seven vehicles seized.

“During this past year, we have seen a huge increase in the amount of drugs that have been coming through the border,” Sowell said. “We have drug interdiction guys assigned to the drug task force along with a couple of state police interdictions that work Interstate 40 and [U.S. Highway] 167 and a lot of these seizures come from that interstate, and then we follow up on those with where they are coming from and where they are going.”

According to Sowell, there is a lot of CADTF work that goes on with fentanyl and overdoses. “We have had a lot of arrests this year on overdose deaths. When that happens, we have two people that are assigned to work overdoses and they follow up on them and make arrests, and that’s been really successful. I think we have probably prosecuted more in our area than maybe anyone else in the state.”

Searcy Police Department Assistant Chief Maj. Brian Wyatt said the CADTF is more than halfway through the fiscal year and still right on schedule financially, with some of the state money starting to come in.

Sowell said that Sen. Breanne Davis from Russellville, Sen.

Jonathan Dismang of Beebe and some others are working on trying to get the task force permanent funding with a bill this legislative session.

“We met with Gov. [Sarah Huckabee] Sanders earlier in the year and she assured us she was going to try to get us a permanent line item through the state where we wouldn’t have to rely on the JAG [Justice Assistance Grant] grant anymore and we wouldn’t have to worry about financial issues, fully fund us,” Wyatt said.

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Rape case conviction reversed, remanded back to circuit court

LITTLE ROCK — A new trial has been ordered for a Greene County man sentenced to 80 years in prison last year on five counts of rape, after the trial court erred in allowing certain evidence into his previous trial, the Arkansas Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday.

The court heard the case involving Santiago Vasquez Jr. of Paragould.

Vasquez Jr. was sentenced to prison last February in Greene County Circuit Court and appealed the case.

“Vasquez argues (1) that the trial court erred in permitting the State to cross-examine him about prior order-of-protection cases in violation of Arkansas Rules of Evidence 404 (a) (1), 608 and 613; and (2) the trial court erred in denying his motion to suppress evidence obtained from his cell phone,” Judge Kenneth S. Hixson said in the ruling. “We agree with Vasquez’s first point on appeal, and we reverse and remand for a new trial.”

However, Judge Hixson said the trial court did not err in applying a good faith exception and denied Vasquez’s motion to suppress evidence from the cell phone.

In the ruling, Judge Hixson said the order of protection issue was “erroneously allowed” under the rules of evidence.

“That does not end our inquiry. We must also determine whether this error result in prejudice to Vasquez and whether we can declare the error harmless. The State argues that the error was harmless, however, in light of the circumstances presented, we do not agree,” Hixson said.

Vasquez Jr. was arrested in 2019 after an investigation by Paragould police.

In court documents in the opinion filed Wednesday, the opinion noted that Vasquez was convicted in a first trial and sentenced to 25 years in prison. The case was later reversed and remanded for a new trial, with the appeals court ruling that the trial court abused its discretion in allowing a sexual assault nurse examiner to present expert testimony in the case.

A second trial was later held and the jury deadlocked, creating a mistrial. Vasquez was later sentenced to the 80-year prison term in the third trial.