This week, a couple was sentenced to prison on drug trafficking charges, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina Russ Ferguson announced.
Jason Mills, 47, of Hendersonville, N.C., pled guilty to distribution of fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl. Stephanie Hope Lindsey, 40, of East Flat Rock, N.C., also pled guilty to distribution of fentanyl.
Mills was sentenced to 135 months, or about 11 years, in prison followed by five years of supervised release. The U.S. Department of Justice adds that when he reoffended, Mills was on federal probation for a federal trafficking conviction in Florida. Therefore, his 10-year sentence will run when his federal violating probation sentence expires.
Lindsey was sentenced to 46 months, or nearly four years, in prison and three years of supervised release, the DOJ said.
According to court documents and testimony at sentencing, law enforcement investigated Mills for supplying fentanyl and methamphetamine in Henderson and Buncombe counties. Between January and February 2024, Mills and his girlfriend, Lindsey, were involved in multiple drug transactions with a person cooperating with law enforcement, with Lindsey sometimes carrying out sales coordinated by Mills and other times driving him to meetups. Mills also conducted some transactions on his own.
On Feb. 12, 2024, the DOJ said investigators searched Mills’ Asheville residence and seized 86.38 grams of fentanyl, 87 grams of methamphetamine, a digital scale and $2,000 in cash. A search of his vehicle the same day also uncovered 69 methamphetamine-containing pills and bags containing fentanyl and methamphetamine.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative to eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
STORY & PHOTO COURTESY OF ABC 13 WLOS.
