ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — A Buncombe County man will serve at least seven and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to multiple drug trafficking charges, prosecutors announced Monday.
Angelo Emayi Johnson, 26, entered a guilty plea before Superior Court Judge Alan Thornburg to two counts of trafficking opium or heroin and one count of possession with intent to sell or deliver a Schedule II controlled substance, the Buncombe County District Attorney’s Office said. All charges are related to fentanyl.
Johnson was sentenced to a mandatory minimum of 90 months (7.5 years) and a maximum of 120 months (10 years) in prison. He was also ordered to pay a $750,000 fine.
The charges stem from a Jan. 25 traffic stop by Asheville Police, who pulled over a vehicle in which Johnson was a passenger. According to investigators, officers spotted a white powdery substance on the passenger seat and inside a McDonald’s cup in the center console. The substance later tested positive for fentanyl.
When officers asked Johnson to exit the vehicle, he fled on foot but was caught shortly afterward. Police said they recovered a bag containing 17 grams of fentanyl near the area where Johnson was apprehended.