EL DORADO, ARKANSAS – Three El Dorado Men have been sentenced in the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas, El Dorado Division, for Possession of Machineguns in violation of federal law.
According to court documents, on April 24, 2022, Officers with the El Dorado Police Department executed a search warrant at an apartment complex in the El Dorado Area to locate a wanted individualMark Oliver Wade, age 23, of El Dorado, Arkansas. A search of the residence uncovered one stolen firearm and one firearm was converted to fire in fully automatic mode. United States District Court Judge Susan O. Hickey sentenced Wade to thirty- three (33) months in federal prison with three years of supervised release to follow.
On March 29, 2023, Officers with the El Dorado Police Department initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle in El Dorado, Arkansas. Markayleo Alonzo James, age 22, of El Dorado, Arkansas, was encountered by law enforcement during this incident. Officers found that James was in possession of a firearm that was converted to fire in fully automatic mode. United States District Court Judge Susan O. Hickey sentenced James to twenty- four (24) months in federal prison with three years of supervised release to follow.
Additionally on May 23, 2023, Officers with the El Dorado Police Department initiated a traffic stop on another vehicle in El Dorado, Arkansas. Inshiqaq Qalam Qiyama II, age 23, of El Dorado, Arkansas, was encountered by law enforcement during this incident. Officers found that Qiyama was in possession of a firearm that was converted to fire in fully automatic mode. United States District Court Judge Susan O. Hickey sentenced Qiyama to twenty- seven (27) months in federal prison with three years of supervised release to follow.
“Glock switches and other automatic weapon conversion kits create a significant danger to both law enforcement officers and innocent civilians,” said United States Attorney David Clay Fowlkes. “These conversion devices are simple to make and sell but are capable of changing ordinary handguns and rifles into incredibly dangerous fully automatic weapons. These weapons are hard to control and can cause massive property damage and potential loss of life. With these weapons, even civilians in their homes are in danger from the numerous, uncontrolled rounds fired using conversion kits. These cases send an important message to our communities: we will continue to investigate and prosecute individuals in possession of illegal automatic weapons and conversion kits. Keeping our communities safe is the most important part of our mission in Western Arkansas.”
The El Dorado Police Department’s CID/CAD divisions and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Briana Robbins and Trent Daniels prosecuted the cases.
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.
Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website @ www.pacer.gov.
