Lenoir Woman Sentenced To Prison For Trafficking Fentanyl

A Lenoir woman has been sentenced to at least seven-and-a-half years in prison following a Caldwell County drug trafficking investigation. 24-year-old Shana McKinsey Patton was sentenced in Caldwell County Superior Court to serve at least 90 months in the NC Department of Adult Corrections. Patton was indicted for trafficking fentanyl earlier in 2026.

On April 8, 2026, the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office ICE Unit and SWAT Team responded to a residence on Apple Blossom Lane in Lenoir. Authorities say the residence was being used for selling illegal narcotics. Police executed a drug search warrant at the home.

The targets of the investigation, 41-year-old Maston Howard Sanders and Shana McKinsey Patton, were taken into custody without incident. Agents seized approximately 130 grams of Methamphetamine and 70 grams of Fentanyl from the residence. The seized narcotics have a street value of $33,500.

As a result, Sanders and Patton were both charged with trafficking methamphetamine and fentanyl and maintaining a dwelling for a controlled substance. Sanders has a Superior Court date scheduled in September.

Story: Rob Eastwood-WHKY