Arden, N.C. Fentanyl And Methamphetamine Trafficker Is Sentenced To 11+ Years In Prison

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Franklin Carlos Fair, 55, of Arden, N.C., was sentenced today to 134 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for trafficking fentanyl and methamphetamine, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

According to documents filed with the court and proceedings, in July 2023, law enforcement learned that Fair, who had prior state convictions for drug trafficking, was distributing kilogram amounts of methamphetamine and fentanyl in Buncombe County. During a November 7, 2023, traffic stop in Anderson, South Carolina, deputies stopped Fair as he traveled from Atlanta to Western North Carolina. Deputies found nearly $3,800 in cash in Fair’s pockets. They also recovered a heat-sealed package and a plastic bag that contained more than 255 grams of fentanyl, which Fair had tossed out the car window before he was stopped.

According to court documents, on April 17, 2024, an individual cooperating with law enforcement arranged to buy from Fair $4,400 worth of methamphetamine and fentanyl. Fair was arrested when he arrived at the agreed location to make the drug sale. After Fair was taken into custody, law enforcement searched his vehicle and recovered more than a half a kilogram of methamphetamine and over 20 grams of fentanyl.

On October 23, 2024, Fair pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl. He remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending placement by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina, and Waynesville Police Department for their investigation of the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher S. Hess of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville handled the prosecution.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).