04/29/2026
If 6lbs of fentanyl is consider possession and not attempted murder, how many pounds do they need to seize. Break it down, ONE POUND equals 453,592 milligrams. If 2 milligrams is potentially lethal, than 6 POUNDS has the potential to murder over 1 MILLION people. We celebrate that the number of deaths has dropped, but if someone you love dies because they suffer from the disease of addiction, does it really matter that a dent in the numbers has been made? One death is too many! We are forever changed by the loss of our son. There are no weddings to plan, no grandkids to spoil, no one to come visit as we get older. Never discount what a 6 pound bust means to those of us who know the true meaning! Yep, this caught me and brought it all back as to why DJ's Wish was started and why we must continue! More on that thought later....
On April 16th, 2026, members of the Buncombe County Sheriff`s Office Illegal Gun Reduction and Narcotics Task Force (IGRANT), Buncombe County SRT, and BCSO Animal Crimes along with members of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI), Bureau of Alcohol To***co Fi****ms and Explosives (ATF), Ashevillc Police Department (APD) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) executed three search warrants at residences in Buncombe County in an effort to dismantle a large scale drug trafficking operation.
The multi-agency operation was made possible following a years-long investigation.
Search warrants were executed at the following addresses -
238 Roper Street Candler, NC 28715 -57 Mardell Circle Asheville, NC 28806
15 Dartmouth Street Asheville. NC 28806
As a result of the investigation six individuals have been charged, and 6.22 pounds of Fentanyl was seized, as well as trafficking amounts of Co***ne and Methamphetamine. The BC Sheriff's Office says it is the largest fentanyl seizure in the agencies history.
As a result of the collaborative investigative efforts, the following evidence was seized:
6.22 lbs of Fentanyl
2.03 lbs of Co***ne
125.3 grams of Methamphetamine 97 lbs of Ma*****na
30 grams of Ecstasy
One Handgun
$20,711.00 of US Currency
Miscellaneous items of drug paraphernalia
The below listed individuals were charged by IGRANT Agents with the alledged following offenses:
Henry Moreland
-Trafficking in Fentanyl Level II| (Possession) -Trafficking in Co***ne Level III (Possession) -Trafficking in Methamphetamine Level III (Possession) - Maintaining a Dwelling for Sell of Controlled Substance
Possession with Intent to Manufacture Sell Deliver M**A
Money Laundering
Possession of Schedule II
Kissy Michele Mills
Money Laundering
Sierra Astrid Blalock (No Booking Photo Available) Conspire to Traffic Fentanyl
Conspire to Traffic Co***ne
Conspire to Traffic Methamphetamine
Dakota Salene Gearin (No Booking Photo Available)
Conspire to Traffic Fentanyl
Conspire to Traffic Co***ne
Conspire to Traffic Methamphetamine
Brian Moreland
Maintaining a Dwelling for Sell of Controlled Substance
Trafficking in Fentanyl
Kristy Rae Wilson
Maintaining a Dwelling for Sell of Controlled Substance
Trafficking in Fentanyl
BCSO District 2 Captain Chris Stockton: "For perspective, the amount of dangerous substances seized as a result of this investigation would have been converted into at least 50,000 individual dosage units to be sold and used in and around Buncombe County. When you consider that roughly 48 of the counties in North Carolina have populations of 1ess than 50,000 people, the positive impact this investigation has on our community is staggering. We are grateful for the work of BCSO personnel and all our many partners who have dedicated resources to assist our community. Without these partnerships and collaboration, the successful outcome of this operation would not have been possible."
