Russellville Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal Prison for Role in "To The Dirt" Methamphetamine Conspiracy

      LITTLE ROCK—Troy R. Loadholt, a multi-convicted felon, will spend the next 25 years in federal prison for his role in a methamphetamine conspiracy that involved members of a white supremacist gang. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the 300-month sentence, which was handed down on Thursday, November 13, 2025, by United States District Judge Brian S. Miller.

      Loadholt, 44, of Russellville, Arkansas, was indicted in a second superseding Indictment on September 3, 2019, on one count for his involvement in a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. On April 9, 2025, Loadholt pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 45 kilograms or more of methamphetamine.

      The overall indictment in this case charged more than 50 people from the Pope County area with violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering (RICO), and numerous gun and drug violations. The case is named “To The Dirt,” a reference to the New Aryan Empire (NAE) slogan referring to the rule that members must remain in the NAE until they die. The charges allege acts involving attempted murder, kidnapping, maiming, and conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Another 54 defendants were indicted in the case, all of whom have pleaded guilty, except for Marcus Millsap, who was sentenced to life imprisonment following a guilty verdict at trial. There is no parole in the federal system.

      In 2016, local and federal agencies initiated a joint investigation to identify, infiltrate, and dismantle drug trafficking organizations in Russellville. Investigators identified multiple individuals who were trafficking methamphetamine in the Pope County area. During the investigation, it was revealed that Loadholt was the driving force behind this large-scale methamphetamine operation by supplying pound quantities of methamphetamine to known members of the NAE, a white supremacist organization that began as a prison gang, who then sold and distributed the methamphetamine

      Based on sworn testimony from codefendants and law enforcement, FedEx records, as well as Loadholt’s Facebook records, during the time of the conspiracy, using the corporate account of a restaurant where his brother worked, Loadholt helped facilitate the shipment of numerous multi-pound quality packages of methamphetamine from California to Arkansas to be distributed throughout the Pope County region.

      “Thanks to the cooperation of federal, state, and local agencies, a large-scale, violent drug trafficking organization with strong ties to white supremacy gangs in the Pope County, Arkansas, area has been dismantled,” Ross said.  “Loadholt and the other defendants in this wide-reaching case have received significant sentences, with one, Marcus Millsap, receiving a life sentence in federal prison. Our goal with the case was to make Pope County a safer community and to clean out the “To The Dirt” organization. With today’s sentence, we’ve made significant progress toward that goal. But our work will continue.”

      “The ATF is working closely with local, state, and federal partners to combat the scourge of deadly illegal drugs in our communities,” Joshua Jackson, ATF Special Agent in Charge, said. “The sentence imposed today sends a message that we will continue to focus efforts on repeat offenders so we can remove another violent criminal from our streets and keep our neighborhoods safe as the top priority for ATF.”

      “The U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s mission is to protect the mail, its employees, and customers from criminal attacks. Individuals who weaponize the mail in furtherance of narcotics trafficking will not be tolerated. The United States Postal Inspection Service will remain dedicated to aggressively pursuing all who attempt to use the U.S. mail to traffic contraband. In addition, we will continue our excellent relationships with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners,” Kai Pickens, Inspector in Charge, Fort Worth Division, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, said. “I would like to commend our partners at the U.S Attorney’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Pope County Sheriff’s Office, Fifth Judicial District Drug Task Force, Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Russellville Police Department, for working decisively with us to help eliminate contraband in the U.S. mail.  From these collaborations, we will continue to have successful resolutions and hold perpetrators accountable.”

      “Today marks the final sentencing of the individuals involved in Operation To The Dirt. This brings closure to a lengthy investigation that demanded dedication, patience, and cooperation across multiple agencies,” Sheriff Blake Wilson, Pope County Sheriff’s Office, said. “I want to thank our deputies, investigators, and partner agencies for their relentless work, and I extend my appreciation to the community for your trust and support throughout this process. Justice has been served, and we remain committed to keeping Pope County a safer place for every family who calls it home.”

      “This sentence shows a continuing effort to work with our federal, state and local law enforcement to combat the dangerous criminals and drugs that flow through our neighborhoods and communities. These efforts have shown an impact in the reduction of crime providing for a safer Russellville and surrounding communities,” Chief David Ewing, Russellville Police Department, said. “This would not have been possible without the dedicated officers, investigators, prosecutors that are unified in the single mission to protect our communities and our state.”

      “Cooperation is the key to taking down criminal Enterprises. I’m so proud of the cooperation between local law-enforcement agencies and the federal authorities involved in “To The Dirt”. I want to specifically recognize the Fifth Judicial Drug Task Force who played an integral part in these convictions,” Prosecuting Attorney Jeff Phillips, Fifth Judicial District, said.

      Loadholt’s sentence was enhanced due to his status as a career offender as a result of his criminal history that includes several serious drug convictions, including drug-trafficking convictions.

      This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

      The investigation included the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as the Pope County Sheriff’s Office, the Russellville Police Department, and the Fifth Judicial District Drug Task Force.

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Additional information about the office of the

United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at

https://www.justice.gov/edar

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