Chauncey Slay, a 46-year-old resident of North Little Rock, has been sentenced to 130 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The sentence was announced by Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and was handed down by Chief United States District Judge Kristine G. Baker.
Slay was indicted by a federal grand jury on October 9, 2024, for possessing more than 50 grams of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. He pleaded guilty to the charge on June 30, 2025. In addition to his prison term, Slay will serve five years of supervised release. There is no possibility of parole in the federal system.
The case stems from a traffic stop conducted on March 6, 2024, by the Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office and Arkansas State Police. Slay was a passenger in the vehicle that was stopped. Officers observed that Slay appeared nervous and confirmed he was on parole with a search waiver on file. Both he and the driver were asked to exit the vehicle.
During the arrest process, an officer shook Slay’s pant leg and discovered a small baggie containing a crystal-like substance fell to the ground. After being placed in a patrol unit and while being transported to jail, Slay told deputies that he had more drugs hidden in his pants. Deputies stopped and found another baggie containing what appeared to be narcotics in his other pant leg.
Testing at a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) laboratory confirmed that the substances amounted to over 120 grams of methamphetamine with a purity level of 98%.
Slay has multiple prior felony convictions related to drug offenses including possession of cocaine, possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, delivery of methamphetamine, possession of heroin with intent to deliver, and possession of fentanyl.
The DEA led the investigation into this case with support from the Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Eldridge prosecuted the case.
“There is no parole in the federal system,” said U.S. Attorney Jonathan D. Ross.
