45 arrested in drug, weapons investigation in Arkansas

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Nearly four dozen people were arrested Wednesday in what federal authorities say was the culmination of three investigations into a drug and firearms operation that stretched from central Arkansas to California and Texas.

A total of 80 people have been indicted and 45 were arrested on weapons and drug trafficking charges, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Little Rock.

The statement said two FBI investigations into gang violence and drug trafficking and a separate Drug Enforcement Administration investigation uncovered methamphetamine and fentanyl being mailed from California into Arkansas and distributed in Little Rock, Pine Bluff and Houston.

The statement said weapons, including machine guns, cash and drugs, have been seized as part of the investigation.