Hackett Man Gets 15 Years For Drug Trafficking

FORT SMITH (KFSM) — A Hackett man was sentenced last week to 15 years in federal prison for drug trafficking in the River Valley.

Bruce Wheeler, 42, pleaded guilty in January 2019 in U.S. District Court to one count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.

Wheeler’s prison sentence will be followed by five years of supervised release.

Bonanza police stopped Wheeler arrested Wheeler after a brief pursuit that ended near the Oklahoma state line. The officer found five zip lock bags containing nearly two pounds of meth in the back seat of the motorcycle.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Bonanza Police Department, Fort Smith Police Department, Sebastian County Sherriff’s Office, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the 12^th/21^st Drug Task Force.

Assistant U.S. attorney Candace Taylor prosecuted the case for the United States.