United States Drug Enforcement Administration

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - David Downing, Drug Enforcement (DEA) Assistant Special Agent in Charge, and Conner Eldridge, United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, announced that Luis Garcia-Duenas, Victor Herrera-Perez, and Javier Lopez-Canseco were all sentenced today for drug-trafficking offenses. Garcia-Duenas, age 33, of Springdale, was sentenced to 151months in prison with three years of supervised release for Distribution of Methamphetamine; Herrera-Perez, age 31, of Fayetteville, was sentenced to 46 months in prison with three years of supervised release for Distribution of Methamphetamine; and Lopez-Canseco, age 22, of Morgan Hill California, was sentenced to 108 months in prison and three years of supervised release for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine. United States District Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing in federal court in Fayetteville.

“DEA and the U.S. Attorney’s Office are working together to take drug dealers off the streets.  Together, we are depriving them of the opportunity to further engage in criminal activity which has adversely affected the quality of life in this region of Arkansas.  We are sending a strong and unified message that drug dealing, at all levels, will not be tolerated, and in turn, we are making our communities safer,” said DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge David Downing. 

U. S. Attorney Eldridge stated, “With the investigation, arrest, and now sentencing of these three individuals, another drug trafficking organization has been put out of business in the Western District of Arkansas.  Other crimes, sometimes violent, often accompany this type of illegal activity, and prosecuting those involved remains a top priority of this office. We appreciate and will continue to work with law enforcement to do all we can to identify drug-trafficking activity and to prosecute the individuals responsible for it to the fullest extent of the law.”

According to court records, on July 3, 2013, July 12, 2013, August 29, 2013, and September 10, 2013, agents with the DEA arranged for monitored controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Herrera-Perez and Garcia-Duenas.  On September 19, 2013, agents again arranged for a controlled monitored purchase of methamphetamine from Garcia-Duenas at a residence in Elm Springs.  That same day, a transaction was made with the defendant Garcia-Duenas exchanging a large quantity of methamphetamine for an agreement that they would be paid $20,000 in U.S. currency at a later date.  Several conversations followed over the next few days regarding the drug debt which led to a third suspect, Lopez-Canseco, who was said to be the source of supply for the methamphetamine.  Telephone contact was arranged by DEA agents with Lopez-Canseco who advised that the $20,000 should be paid to him.  He agreed to a meeting at a business in Springdale, describing the vehicle he would be in.  When Lopez-Conseco arrived, agents made contact with him and took possession of his cell phone.  It was determined that this was the same cell phone that had been used to set up the meeting to pay for the methamphetamine.  The suspected substance was sent to the Crime Lab where it was determined to be a mixture that was 98.7% pure and contained 551 grams of actual methamphetamine.  All three defendants pleaded guilty to the charges on February 18, 2014. 

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Clay Fowlkes prosecuted the cases for the United States.

Parents and children are encouraged to educate themselves about the dangers of drugs by visiting DEA’s interactive websites at www.JustThinkTwice.com, www.GetSmartAboutDrugs.com and www.dea.gov.