LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Federal prosecutors say 30 people have been indicted in a wide-ranging methamphetamine investigation in the Jonesboro area.
The 64-count indictment was unsealed Wednesday and shows that 29 of the defendants are charged with conspiracy to distribute or possess with intent to distribute 500 or more grams of methamphetamine.
The investigation was led by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration but also was pursued by the Arkansas National Guard, the U.S. Marshals Service, the state police and the Independence County Sheriff's Department.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jane Duke says law enforcement agencies are seeking to root out meth distribution rings, in part, because of the social cost of addiction to the illegal stimulant.
The charges focus on events from January through May this year.
