LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas State Police (ASP) Troopers seized record amounts of illegal narcotics in 2025, leading all agencies in the Gulf Coast High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) region.
“Black-market high-grade marijuana is fueling violence in our cities,” said Gulf Coast HIDTA Chairman and ASP Director Col. Mike Hagar. “These seizures matter. Illegal marijuana, guns, and violence go hand in hand, and every load we intercept makes Arkansas communities safer.”
ASP’s Interstate Criminal Patrol (ICP) Unit reported significant increases across nearly every category of illegal narcotics compared to 2024:
- 1,154 pounds of methamphetamine (up from 509 lbs.)
- 750 pounds of cocaine (up from 254 lbs.)
- 127 pounds of fentanyl (up from 69 lbs.)
- 17,700 pounds of illegal marijuana
- 74 pounds of THC wax
- 4.6 pounds of heroin
- 1,200 pounds of THC edibles and vapes
Troopers also seized $1.6 million in cash, 28 weapons, and 20 vehicles tied to criminal trafficking activity.
Gulf Coast HIDTA Executive Director Tim Valenti praised the effort: “The Arkansas State Police do a tremendous job intercepting illegal drugs on highways across the region. The results speak for themselves. In 2025, HIDTA invested $500,000 to support highway patrol initiatives across the region, and that investment returned more than $87 million in drugs and assets. For 2026, we’ve awarded $10,000 to the Arkansas State Police to help continue this vital work.”
Col. Hagar was elected Chair of the Gulf Coast HIDTA in 2025 and serves as one of 33 HIDTA chairs nationwide. Arkansas plays a key role in the program.
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders added: “Protecting Americans from dangerous cartels doesn’t stop at our borders. Arkansas sits at the heart of major drug-trafficking corridors, and our State Troopers, some of the country’s bravest men and women, sacrifice daily to keep our roads and communities safe.”
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas Jonathan D. Ross (recently elected Vice-Chairman of the Gulf Coast HIDTA) noted: “Col. Hagar and the Arkansas State Police have proven to be national leaders in identifying and seizing illicit drugs. Our office works closely with ASP and federal partners to indict those transporting and distributing these drugs, including black-market marijuana flowing from Oklahoma, Colorado, and California.”
The Gulf Coast HIDTA region includes Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, and Florida — states positioned along major drug corridors connecting the Southwest Border to the East Coast and Midwest.
Nationwide in 2025, HIDTA agencies seized 4.1 million pounds of drugs and disrupted $17.7 billion in illegal profits.
The numbers show a clear ramp-up in interdiction efforts along Arkansas interstates, with big jumps in meth, cocaine, and fentanyl seizures — plus a massive amount of illegal marijuana. Solid work by the troopers in a high-traffic smuggling corridor.
