Arthur Ray Osborne, 44, of Jonesboro, has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. The sentencing was announced by Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and handed down by United States District Judge Brian S. Miller on December 10, 2025.
Osborne pleaded guilty on June 18, 2025, to a superseding information charging him with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. He will also serve five years of supervised release following his prison term.
According to investigators, Osborne was involved in selling large quantities of methamphetamine. On December 10 and December 18, 2019, he arranged sales totaling eight ounces of methamphetamine to a confidential informant for $2,800. Further transactions occurred on November 10 and November 11, 2020, when Osborne sold almost eight ounces of methamphetamine for $3,000.
Law enforcement conducted surveillance at a Jonesboro business on April 11, 2022. Officers observed marijuana in plain view and obtained a search warrant due to Osborne’s nervous behavior. During the search they found a firearm and ammunition hidden between couch cushions; scales; approximately 100 grams of cocaine; 159 grams of methamphetamine; nearly 380 grams of marijuana; over 120 assorted pills including ecstasy; a backpack with Osborne’s name containing about $3,840; promethazine cough syrup; and additional ammunition throughout the building.
Due to prior felony drug convictions for possession with intent to deliver marijuana and cocaine with intent to distribute, Osborne was classified as a career offender and received an enhanced sentence. There is no parole in the federal system.
“This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office statement. “The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders.”
“In performing this work,” the statement continued,”the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children.” The initiative also aims “to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.”
The investigation was led by agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation with support from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Second Judicial Drug Task Force, and Jonesboro Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Jordan Crews and Bart Dickinson prosecuted the case.
