A Little Rock man, Montrell Austin, 41, has been convicted by a federal jury for possessing and intending to distribute approximately a quarter pound of fentanyl and five firearms. The verdict was reached after a two-day trial and just over an hour of deliberation. Austin faced multiple federal drug and firearm charges.
The indictment against Austin was returned on November 6, 2024. The jury’s decision was presented to Chief United States District Court Judge Kristine G. Baker, who will sentence Austin at a future date. Following the trial’s conclusion, Austin was taken into federal custody.
For possession with intent to deliver between 40 grams and less than 400 grams of fentanyl, the statutory penalty ranges from not less than five years to no more than 40 years’ imprisonment. Due to a previous conviction for a serious drug offense, Austin faces an enhanced penalty ranging from not less than ten years to life imprisonment. Additionally, he could face up to ten years for being a felon in possession of a firearm and at least five years for possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, which must be served consecutively.
The investigation began in October 2021 when narcotics detectives from the Little Rock Police Department (LRPD) started looking into narcotics sales at a shop on Geyer Springs Road in Southwest Little Rock. Austin was identified as someone involved with the location. A search warrant executed on November 9, 2021 led to the discovery of six guns—three AR-style pistols—nearly a quarter pound of fentanyl, various equipment related to drug distribution, and over $10,000 in cash. During questioning following his arrest at the scene, Austin admitted ownership of everything found at the shop.
Co-defendant Tarik Slater, 26, also claimed ownership of one gun and pleaded guilty earlier this year before Chief Judge Baker for being a felon in possession of a firearm; he received a sentence of 30 months in federal prison on January 11.
In addition to prison time, the drug offense carries potential fines up to $5 million and supervised release lasting at least four years while firearm offenses may result in fines up to $250 thousand with up to five years supervised release.
This case was investigated by LRPD with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant United States Attorneys Lauren Eldridge and Julie Peters prosecuted it.
