A Hope, Ark., man pleaded guilty to distributing more than 50 grams of methamphetamine at a hearing before a federal judge Wednesday in Texarkana.
Lacortney Sanders, aka Supreme, 34, faces up to life in prison at sentencing. Sanders appeared Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Susan Hickey with lawyer James Pratt. Sanders entered a guilty plea to the second count of an indictment handed down Feb. 25, 2015, by a federal grand jury in the Texarkana Division of the Western District of Arkansas. The first count of the indictment, which alleges conspiracy to distribute meth in 2013 and 2014, is expected to be dismissed at sentencing as part of Sanders' plea agreement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan Ross and Denis Dean are handling the case for the government.
Sanders has been in federal custody since his arrest Oct. 16, 2015. According to plea documents filed Wednesday in Sanders' case, agents with the FBI and FBI Drug Task Force began an investigation into Sanders' trafficking of methamphetamine in the Hempstead County and surrounding area. Sanders was identified as a supplier of the drug.
In November 2013, an undercover operative met Sanders at his home in Hope and bought three ounces of methamphetamine for $2,400 or $800 per ounce.
Distribution of more than 50 grams of methamphetamine is punishable by a mandatory minimum of 10 years and maximum of life in federal prison. A fine of up to $1 million is possible as well.
Sanders will return to court for formal sentencing once a pre-sentence investigation report, including a recommendation for punishment under federal sentencing guidelines, has been received by the court. Until then, Sanders remains in custody.