Fayetteville, Arkansas - David Clay Fowlkes, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas announced that Matthew Barnes, age 29, from Bentonville, Arkansas was sentenced to 77 months imprisonment followed by 3 years supervised release and Sonia Werline, age 24, from Fayetteville, Arkansas was sentenced to 51 months followed by 3 years supervised release for Aiding and Abetting in the Possession of More Than 50 Grams of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute. The Honorable Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearings in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court records, narcotics investigators encountered Barnes and Werline at a Fayetteville motel and questioned them regarding suspected drug trafficking. After Barnes and Werline admitted to possessing a large quantity of methamphetamine, investigators located approximately one kilogram of methamphetamine under the sink.
The methamphetamine was subsequently sent to the DEA crime lab in Miami, Florida where it was found to contain 977 grams of actual methamphetamine.
Barnes and Werline were indicted by a federal grand jury in June of 2019 and entered guilty pleas in September of 2019.
This case was investigated by the Fourth Judicial Drug Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Amy Driver prosecuted the case for the United States.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
