Tommy Avance, a multi-convicted felon from Little Rock, was sentenced on Apr. 27 to 240 months in federal prison after being convicted of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced that United States District Judge Lee P. Rudofsky handed down the sentence.
Avance’s sentencing is part of ongoing efforts by federal authorities to address drug trafficking and related crimes in the region. The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas prosecutes federal crimes and manages civil litigation for the United States, according to the official website.
Avance, age 41, was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 2, 2024, on four counts including possession with intent to distribute over 50 grams of methamphetamine and cocaine as well as firearms offenses. He pleaded guilty on October 28, 2025, to possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute and received an additional five years’ supervised release; there is no parole in the federal system.
The case began when Conway Police Department officers observed suspected drug activity at a residence during surveillance on March 26, 2024. Officers stopped Avance’s vehicle shortly after he left the location and detected marijuana odor before Avance fled from police at high speed. After his apprehension using spike strips, officers found two bags of cocaine and one bag of methamphetamine on him.
During a post-Miranda interview with officers following his arrest, Avance admitted purchasing significant quantities of both drugs. Because he was already on active parole with a search waiver filed, investigators searched his Conway residence where they found more than one kilogram of methamphetamine along with two firearms—one reported stolen in Benton in 2023.
Avance has previous convictions including possession of cocaine and simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms as well as prior felony firearm offenses dating back to July 2012 out of the Western District of Arkansas.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration assisted by Conway Police Department; Assistant United States Attorney Reese Lancaster prosecuted this case.
The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas handles both criminal prosecutions and civil lawsuits while partnering with law enforcement agencies across its jurisdiction’s three divisions covering forty-one counties according to its official website.
