Fordyce Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking Methamphetamine and Cocaine

LITTLE ROCK-Eric Matlock, who has a previous state conviction for conspiracy to deliver cocaine, will spend the next 120 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down today by United States District Judge James M. Moody, Jr.

On October 9, 2024, Matlock, 42, of Fordyce, was indicted by a federal grand jury in a two-count indictment for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. On August 8, 2025, Matlock pleaded guilty to the counts in the indictment. Judge Moody also sentenced Matlock to five years' supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

In February of 2024, the Dallas County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigation Division opened an investigation in Fordyce due to an influx of narcotic activity. During the investigation, Matlock was identified as a potential narcotics dealer. Using confidential sources and surveillance technology, law enforcement conducted controlled buys of narcotics from Matlock. During these controlled buys, deputies utilized aerial surveillance technology to monitor Matlock's movements.

As a result of the investigation, a search warrant was executed at Matlock's residence on June 30, 2024. During the search of the residence, officers located a buried footlocker near the carport. Located in the footlocker were multiple plastic bags containing large quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, $3,841 in cash, and digital scales. The controlled substances were confirmed to be 1.6 pounds of methamphetamine and 1.2 pounds of cocaine.

In addition to Matlock's previous state conviction for conspiracy to deliver cocaine, his criminal history also includes two convictions for possession of crack cocaine, a conviction for possession of firearms by certain persons, and a conviction for possession of paraphernalia to manufacture methamphetamine/cocaine, and maintaining a drug premises.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Little Rock comprises agents and officers from the Dallas County Sheriff's Office and FBI with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Arkansas.

The investigation was conducted by the Dallas County Sheriff's Office with assistance from the FBI. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Reese Lancaster.

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