Little Rock man sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for deadly fentanyl trafficking

LITTLE ROCK – Joseph Riggins Jr. will spend 25 years in federal prison for distributing fentanyl that resulted in the death of a person. Jonathan D. Ross, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down Wednesday by U.S. District Judge James M. Moody Jr.

On November 29, 2023, Riggins, 33, of Little Rock pleaded guilty to distributing fentanyl resulting in death. Judge Moody also sentenced Riggins to three years of probation. Riggins was indicted on April 5, 2023, for knowingly and willfully distributing a mixture and substance containing fentanyl resulting in death. The maximum sentence Riggins faced was a minimum of 20 years to life in prison and a $1 million fine. There is no parole in the federal system.

An investigation revealed that on July 31, 2022, Riggins exchanged a series of text messages with DM in which he outlined that Riggins was selling heroin to DM in exchange for sex. On August 1, 2022, Riggins met with DM at a local motel in North Little Rock, where Riggins gave DM a controlled substance laced with fentanyl. DM later ingested this controlled substance in the motel room. The following day, August 2, 2022, motel staff found DM dead in her motel room. DM's body was subsequently transported to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory for forensic analysis. An autopsy later determined that DM's death was caused by mixed drug toxicity consisting of cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine. According to the medical examiner who performed the autopsy, the level of fentanyl in DM's body at the time of the investigation was significantly higher than the normally lethal level of fentanyl.

The investigation was conducted by the North Little Rock Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Gordon.

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