AWARDS: Arkansas State Police troopers received awards that look like wood-carved bald eagles clutching American flags. Arkansas State Police

The Interstate Criminal Patrol team at the Arkansas State Police must have had it going on in 2022, because they were given three awards and “Team of the Year” at a recent ceremony in Mississippi.

The Gulf Coast High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area — the agency that gave the awards — works to keep drug traffic to a minimum along select major highways including I-30 and I-40. A total of 29 counties in six separate states are included in the organization — Arkansas’s Benton, Washington, Pulaski and Jefferson counties are in.

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The agency held its award ceremony earlier in March, and three ASP troopers were recognized for the size of their drug busts. Deston Linkous had the largest one-time marijuana seizure at more than 1,600 pounds, and David Hamilton seized the most methamphetamine, which weighed in at 119 pounds. Josh Elmore won the category for largest seizure of “other dangerous drugs” with 56 pounds of Fentanyl from one bust.

The awards seem to be a bald eagle clutching an American flag with its talons. That checks out.

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Linkous also was awarded “Officer of the Year” for his 20 seizures that came in at a street value of $7.9 million.

In all of 2022, the ASP seized more than 8,015 pounds of weed, 143 pounds of cocaine, 372 pounds of meth and nearly 66 pounds of fentanyl. The team also collected $996,100 in cash and 32 weapons.

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Cindy Murphy, the ASP spokesperson, gave us the run down on what happens to the seized items.

The drugs are sent to the state crime lab for analysis, then stored during the prosecution stage. Once the case and appeals are taken care of, the drugs are shipped off to an incinerator. Seized weapons are either destroyed, later used by law enforcement or sold at public auction.

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The cash that comes from the busts are put into specific accounts. If the money is determined to be forfeited, it is sent to the prosecuting attorney in the jurisdiction where it was originally seized. The prosecuting attorney gets to decide how the money is distributed, Murphy said.

Sometimes, money is shared between multiple agencies. When ASP receives funds, it is used to purchase equipment and provide training. In every federal forfeiture, 20% of seized funds go to the U.S. Marshals Service, Murphy said.

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