Jonathan D. Ross U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas
Allan Ricardo Medina-Morales, a 39-year-old citizen of Honduras residing illegally in Judsonia, Arkansas, has been sentenced to 135 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The announcement was made by Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas. Chief United States District Judge Kristine G. Baker issued the sentence.
Medina-Morales was indicted by a federal grand jury on February 7, 2023, facing charges including conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge on April 23, 2024. In addition to his prison term, he will serve five years of supervised release. There is no parole available in the federal system.
According to investigators, Medina-Morales and others conspired to distribute methamphetamine in March 2022. On March 15, officers from the Conway Police Department observed suspicious activity at a co-conspirator’s residence. Medina-Morales was seen carrying a duffel bag from his vehicle into the house and later transporting another kilogram of methamphetamine from a tree stump into the home.
After leaving the property with the co-conspirator, their vehicle—owned by Medina-Morales—was stopped by Arkansas State Police troopers. During a search, police found a Colt .38 caliber firearm in the glove box. A subsequent search warrant led officers to discover approximately 10 kilograms of methamphetamine and drug distribution paraphernalia inside the duffel bag at the property. Laboratory analysis determined that authorities seized nearly 11.8 kilograms of methamphetamine during their investigation.
Records show that Medina-Morales was previously arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents for illegal entry near Edinburg, Texas in January 2013. An immigration court ordered him removed to Honduras in October 2019 after he failed to appear at court proceedings in Baltimore, Maryland. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has placed a detainer on Medina-Morales for deportation following completion of his federal sentence.
The Drug Enforcement Administration led the investigation with support from Arkansas State Police and Conway Police Department.
"There is no parole in the federal system."
