United States Drug Enforcement Administration

FORT SMITH, Ark. - Drug Enforcement (DEA) Assistant Special Agent in Charge David Downing and Conner Eldridge, United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, announced that six individuals have been sentenced this week to a combined total of over 50 years in prison for drug-trafficking offenses stemming from an investigation into a drug-trafficking organization active in the Carroll County, Arkansas, area.  The defendants were originally charged in an indictment returned by a Federal Grand Jury on May 7, 2014.  The Honorable Robert T. Dawson, United States District Judge, presided over the sentencing hearings in Fort Smith.
  
The defendants sentenced this week are as follows:

• Bryan McClelland, 51, of Eureka Springs, Arkansas, was sentenced to 121 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine.
• Shellie McClelland, 50, of Eureka Springs, Arkansas, was sentenced to 50 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine.
• Shane Stephenson, 37, of Berryville, Arkansas, was sentenced to 63 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for Distribution of Methamphetamine.
• Chad Mott, 35, of Oak Grove, Arkansas, was sentenced to 78 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for Distribution of Methamphetamine.
• Andrew Crane, 34, of Clinton, Missouri, was sentenced to 188 months in prison for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine, and to 60 months in prison for Travel in Interstate Commerce to Aid Drug Trafficking, to run concurrently, followed by three years of supervised release.
• William Adcock, 40, of Hot Springs, Arkansas, was sentenced to 51 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for Distribution of Methamphetamine.

"We are relentless in our pursuit of drug trafficking organizations who prey on young people and ruin neighborhoods and communities. This organization kept the flow of methamphetamine steady into rural areas of Arkansas. The DEA and its law enforcement partners have long been dedicated to pursuing and weeding out these drug trafficking organizations by applying continuous pressure. We will continue to combine our resources to improve the safety of our communities for the good citizens of Arkansas and increase knowledge of the dangers of methamphetamine use,” stated David Downing.

U.S. Attorney Eldridge commented, “Children across our district deserve to grow up in communities free from trafficking in drugs and the violence and other crime that comes with it.  We remain focused on identifying and prosecuting those responsible for bringing large amounts of methamphetamine and other drugs onto our streets.  I appreciate the cooperative effort of local, state, and federal law enforcement who worked together to make certain that these defendants were brought to justice.”

“Drug traffickers inflict significant harm upon law-abiding communities without any regard for the violence and destruction that often accompanies their illegal activities,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge of HSI New Orleans Cindy M. Johnson. “This case illustrates the successful partnership between HSI, the DEA, and local partners with the Eureka Springs Police Department, Rogers Police Department, Springdale Police Department and the Washington County Sheriff’s Department to identify and bring Arkansas drug traffickers to justice.” 

According to court records, in 2013, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations launched an investigation into a drug trafficking organization in Carroll County, Arkansas, headed by Bryan McClelland that had ties to Kansas and Missouri.  During the course of the investigation, agents learned that Andrew Crane was supplying large quantities of methamphetamine to Bryan McClelland from a source in Kansas.  After corroborating this information, agents were able to interview Crane, who after waiving his Miranda rights, admitted to agents that he had been delivering methamphetamine to Bryan McClelland.  After receiving this methamphetamine, Bryan McClelland would distribute or sell quantities of methamphetamine to drug dealers under him who would then sell smaller quantities of methamphetamine to users, or McClelland himself would sell directly to users. Law enforcement made several controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Adcock, Stephenson, Mott, and Bryan McClelland.  Agents were able to identify Shellie McClelland as a co-conspirator in the organization with her husband, Bryan McClelland. On May 8, 2014, law enforcement executed a search warrant which resulted in the seizure of 18 firearms and over $24,000 in United States currency.   Shellie McClelland, Bryan McClelland, and Chad Mott were each arrested on May 8, 2014, and pleaded guilty to their respective charges on September 29, 2014.  Stephenson was arrested on May 27, 2014, and pleaded guilty September 18, 2014.  Adcock was arrested July 1, 2014, and pleaded guilty September 18, 2014.  Crane was arrested June 2, 2014, and pleaded guilty to the charge of Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine on September 18, 2014, and to the charge of Travel in Interstate Commerce to Aid Drug Trafficking on November 6, 2014.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement (DEA), Homeland Security (HSI), the Eureka Springs Police Department, the Rogers Police Department, the Springdale Police Department, and the Washington County Sheriff’s Department.  Due to its impact on multiple states, this investigation was designated an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task (“OCDETF”) investigation.  Assistant United States Attorney Candace Taylor 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.