TEXARKANA – A Danville, Arkansas man was sentenced yesterday to 180 months in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for possessing with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine—his second federal drug trafficking conviction. The Honorable Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court, at Texarkana.
According to court records, on January 25, 2025, Christopher Brent Garner , age 42, was a passenger in a vehicle stopped by Arkansas State Police in Little River County, for having no visible license plate. During the traffic stop, the Trooper noted that Garner and the vehicle’s driver were both visibly shaking as they explained their recent purchase of the vehicle. While speaking to the pair from outside the vehicle, the Trooper observed items inside it that he recognized as indicative of methamphetamine use. The Trooper had Garner step out and patted him down for weapons. In doing so, the Trooper felt an object in Garner’s pants that he knew was consistent in size and shape with a glass methamphetamine pipe. After seizing the pipe, the Trooper asked Garner how much methamphetamine he had on his person. Garner said he wasn’t sure and allowed the Trooper to recover an amount of methamphetamine from his pants. Garner then told the Trooper there was an additional, larger quantity of methamphetamine hidden atop the vehicle’s spare tire. Upon lowering the spare tire, the Trooper found a box resting on top of it. Inside the box were two zipper baggies containing a total of 1.8 pounds of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine. Garner told the Trooper that the driver did not know he had the drugs. Following Miranda warnings, Garner admitted he had intended to distribute that methamphetamine to customers in western Arkansas.
Garner previously served a 100-month federal prison sentence for aiding and abetting the possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute in the Court’s Fort Smith Division. ( See W.D. Ark. Docket No. 2:13-CR-20014-001).
United States Attorney Kevin R. Holmes made the announcement. The Arkansas State Police, the Little River County Sheriff’s Department, and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Graham Jones prosecuted the case for the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the U.S. Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website at www.pacer.gov .
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Western District of Arkansas — U.S. Department of Justice press release.