Regional News: Fort Smith drug dealer headed to federal prison for 25-years as last defendant in multiple trials
- Dennis McCaslin
- Jul 25, 2025
- 2 min read
The final defendant in a Northwest Arkansas drug trafficking organization has been sentenced to federal prison for crimes related to the distribution of fentanyl, concluding a multi-agency investigation that spanned much of 2024.
The sentencing hearings were presided over by U.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks in Fayetteville. According to court records, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) launched an investigation into the organization’s operations in Fayetteville and Fort Smith between January and September 2024.
Agents identified Salvador Fautino Caracena-Zarates, Jr. as the group’s leader and primary supplier of fentanyl and methamphetamine.
Caracena-Zarates distributed fentanyl pills designed to mimic M-30 OxyContin tablets through a network that included Rafael Deaundra Norwood, Sr., Christopher Ray Howes, and Alonzo Lee Releford, III.
All four individuals have now been sentenced in federal court:
Salvador Fautino Caracena-Zarates, Jr., 42, of Fort Smith — Possession with intent to distribute over 50 grams of methamphetamine: 300 months imprisonment, 4 years supervised release.
Rafael Deaundra Norwood, Sr., 40, of Fayetteville — Aiding and abetting the distribution of fentanyl: 168 months imprisonment, 3 years supervised release.
Christopher Ray Howes, 43, of Fayetteville — Aiding and abetting the distribution of fentanyl: 100 months imprisonment, 3 years supervised release.
Alonzo Lee Releford, III, 23, of Fayetteville — Distribution of fentanyl: 100 months imprisonment, 3 years supervised release.
The investigation was led by the DEA with support from the Fourth Judicial Drug Task Force, Fort Smith Police Department, U.S. Marshals Service, Benton County Drug Unit, Bentonville Police Department, Fayetteville Police Department, and Arkansas State Police.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sydney Butler Stanley prosecuted the case. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas.
This case was prosecuted under Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at dismantling transnational criminal organizations and protecting communities from violent crime. The operation integrates resources from the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
