Law enforcement arrest enrolled member of Easter Band of Cherokee Indians charged with dealing fentanyl that resulted in an overdose death
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – A federal grand jury sitting in Charlotte returned a criminal bill of indictment on Feb. 20, 2020, charging Shannon White, 42, an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and resident of the Cherokee Indian Reservation, with distributing fentanyl that resulted in an overdose death, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina Andrew Murray. White appeared in federal court this morning, following her arrest by the DEA and the Swain County Sheriff’s Office.
Special Agent in Charge Robert J. Murphy of the DEA Atlanta Field Division, which oversees the Asheville District Office and the counties encompassing the Cherokee Indian Reservation, joins U.S. Attorney Murray in making today’s announcement.
The criminal bill of indictment alleges that on Jan. 28, 2019, White did knowingly distribute a mixture or substance containing fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance, which resulted in the death of a victim identified in the indictment as J.F.
White had her initial appearance today in Asheville before U.S. Magistrate Judge W. Carleton Metcalf. The offense charged carries a mandatory minimum term of twenty years imprisonment, a maximum term of life imprisonment, and a $1,000,000 fine.
The charge contained in the indictment is an allegation. The defendant is innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Murray thanked the DEA and the Swain County Sheriff’s Office for their investigation of this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Kent, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville, is handling the prosecution.
The DEA encourages parents, along with their children, to educate themselves about the dangers of legal and illegal drugs by visiting DEA’s interactive websites at www.justhinktwice.com, www.GetSmartAboutDrugs.com and www.dea.gov. Also follow DEA Atlanta via Twitter at @DEAATLANTADiv.
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