Operation nabs drugtrafficking organization

LITTLE ROCK — Twentyseven defendants accused of distributing large amounts of fentanyl, as well as methamphetamine and cocaine, in central Arkansas are in custody after federal and state authorities made a series of arrests in Pulaski County on Tuesday morning as part of an ongoing drug-trafficking investigation. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and Warner Benson, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Little Rock Field Office, announced Tuesday’s arrests.

According to a federal superseding indictment that was unsealed Tuesday following the arrests, the large-scale drug organization in central Arkansas is headed by Eric Dillard, 44, and Jimmie Mc-Daniels, 49, both of Little Rock. A team of law enforcement agencies in the area coordinated to arrest 27 of the 29 defendants listed in the indictment this morning. Dillard was already in federal custody based on a federal indictment filed against him on September 11, 2024. The superseding indictment was returned by a federal grand jury on March 4, 2025.

The defendants were charged with a series of drug and gun crimes, including conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine, felon in possession of a firearm, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. A financial investigation also led to money laundering charges, including conspiracy, against six defendants.

“The lethality of fentanyl requires our continued resolve to prioritize these types of investigations,” Ross said. “We will also keep our focus on other deadly drugs such as methamphetamine, which remains the most abused drug in our state, and cocaine, both of which were involved this case.”

The arrests stem from an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, or OCDETF, investigation that began in September 2023.

Most the defendants listed in the indictment are from Little Rock and surrounding towns.

The investigation, which was headed by the DEA, involved numerous controlled purchases of fentanyl from members of the conspiracy, as well as the seizure of 19 firearms and approximately a pound of fentanyl. According to information learned throughout the investigation, it is believed this organization has trafficked hundreds of pounds of fentanyl to people in Arkansas.

Additionally, during the investigation law enforcement agents intercepted numerous phone calls in which the conspiracy members discussed trafficking fentanyl and layering profits through various channels to disguise the source of the proceeds.

Throughout the investigation

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more than $100,000 in illegal proceeds was seized by law enforcement.

“This morning’s arrest operation represents a significant blow to a criminal network that was flooding our communities with deadly fentanyl,” said DEAAssistant Special Agent in Charge Warner Benson. “Along with our federal, state, and local partners, we are committed to dismantling these organizations and protecting the citizens of Central Arkansas from the devastating consequences of drug trafficking.”

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Man who kept tiger cub in backyard gets fine, 5 years probation

CONWAY — A Conway man who purchased a tiger cub and kept it in his backyard is set to serve five years of probation and pay a $5,000 fine.

Keidrick Damond Usifo, 30, pleaded guilty on Oct. 22, 2024, to violating the Big Cat Public Safety Act, a federal law that makes it illegal to privately possess or breed big cat species including lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars, cheetahs and cougars.

In March 2023, Usifo purchased the tiger cub from a seller in Dallas, Texas, and transported it to his home in a Conway neighborhood, a news release issued by U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas Jonathan D. Ross read. Usifo kept the cub in his backyard, and multiple neighboring residents reported it to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.

About a month after purchasing the cub, Usifo was arrested for a felony state warrant during a traffic stop on April 21, 2023. The Conway Police Department searched his residence after his arrest but was unable to locate the cub. “There was evidence in the residence indicating the presence of a tiger, as well as matching rooms from Usifo’s Instagram posts that displayed a tiger cub,” the news release read.

While in custody at the Pulaski County Detention Facility, Usifo made contact with Deon Johnson, 29, of Little Rock. Investigators determined that Johnson knew Usifo purchased the cub and even fed it while Usifo was in custody.

“Johnson concealed any knowledge of the tiger when questioned by agents,” the news release read.

Prosecutors ultimately charged Johnson with one count of misprision of a felony. He also pleaded guilty on Oct.

22, 2024, and was sentenced to 18 months of probation and fined $1,000.

Laura Hagen, director of captive wildlife at Humane World for Animals, formerly called the Humane Society of the United States, told the Log Cabin Democrat on Monday that “a backyard in Conway, Arkansas, or any other neighborhood, is no place for a tiger.”

“Wild animals are not pets and ‘owning’ one is not only senseless and cruel to the tiger, but also a dangerous public safety issue,” Hagen said. “The Big Cat Public Safety Act protects tigers and other big cats from the abuse and neglect inherent in private ownership and was signed into law to address exactly this type of tragic circumstance. The successful prosecution of two Arkansas residents is a testament to the strong collaboration between local, state and federal officials involved in this case. Humane World for Animals commends and appreciates law enforcement for taking this case seriously and working collaboratively and quickly to ensure the offenders were held accountable for endangering law enforcement, the public and animals.”

The tiger cub Usifo kept in his backyard is now named Fred and is a resident of Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, a big cat sanctuary outside Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service delivered Fred to the refuge on April 28, 2023, Turpentine Creek Marketing Coordinator Cheryl King told the Log Cabin on Tuesday.

A “very playful, smallish cub,” refuge staff estimated that he was only six months old when he arrived.

“We had him in a habitat next to where we had three young siblings and their mother, Priscilla, when he first arrived,” King said. “She was looking at him like, ‘Is that one of mine?’”