Hickory Man Gets Prison Time For Trafficking Fentanyl

A Hickory man will spend six to eight years in prison following his conviction for trafficking fentanyl by possession during Catawba County Superior Court last Thursday , April 3rd.

37-year-old William Thomas Ray Miller was given the active term by the Honorable Karen Eady-Williams, Superior Court Judge from Mecklenburg County, after he entered a guilty plea. He also will be required to pay a mandatory fine of $500,000.

During a probation search on July 3, 2024, Miller was found with a black pouch that he said contained fentanyl and U.S. currency. Officers found white powdery substances, crystal rock substances and blue powdery substances in various locations of the residence and the defendant’s vehicle along with more money and items of drug paraphernalia. The defendant told officers that he had been selling some of the drugs.

The substances were sent off to the State Crime Lab for analysis and were confirmed to be a trafficking amount of fentanyl.

Samuel Helms investigated the case for the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant District Attorney Melanie Earles prosecuted the matter for the State with aid from Legal Assistant Jordan Arney.

Story: Rob Eastwood-WHKY