A federal jury in Little Rock has found Montrell Austin guilty of multiple drug and firearm offenses. The 41-year-old was convicted of possessing approximately a quarter pound of fentanyl with the intent to distribute, as well as five firearms. The verdict was reached after a two-day trial and just over an hour of jury deliberation.
The charges against Austin stem from a superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury on November 6, 2024. Following the conviction, Chief United States District Court Judge Kristine G. Baker will sentence Austin at a later date. He is currently in federal custody.
Austin faces significant penalties due to his previous serious drug offense conviction. For the fentanyl charge alone, he could receive an enhanced penalty ranging from ten years to life imprisonment. Additionally, he faces 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. Austin was identified as someone who frequented or possibly ran the location. A search warrant executed on November 9, 2021, led to the discovery of six guns—three AR-style pistols—and nearly a quarter pound of fentanyl among other items like scales and mixing equipment.
Austin admitted ownership of everything found during the search in a written statement. His co-defendant, Tarik Slater, also claimed ownership of one gun and pleaded guilty earlier this year to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Slater received a sentence of 30 months in federal prison.
The case involved collaboration between LRPD and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Assistant United States Attorneys Lauren Eldridge and Julie Peters handled prosecution duties.
