A Shelby man will spend more than 17 years in federal prison for drug trafficking including the sale of the deadly substance, fentanyl.
Chadwick Javon Strong, also known as "Izeem Ockman Ackridge," 45, was sentenced last week to 214 months in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for trafficking fentanyl and cocaine.
According to filed court documents and court proceedings, from 2018 to July 2021, Strong distributed fentanyl and cocaine in Mecklenburg, Gaston and Cleveland counties. Over the course of the investigation into Strong's drug trafficking activities, law enforcement determined that the defendant sold and possessed with intent to distribute almost one kilogram of fentanyl, and that Strong sold the fentanyl with pill markings for a different substance.
In addition to the narcotics, Strong was found in possession of more than $3,000 in cash and two handguns.
Strong pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of fentanyl and cocaine. He is in federal custody and will be transferred to a federal prison to serve his time.
Facts about fentanyl
According to the DEA, fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine.
Fentanyl remains the deadliest drug threat in the United States. Just two milligrams of fentanyl, which is equal to 10-15 grains of table salt, is considered a lethal dose.
According to the CDC, 107,375 people in the United States died of drug overdoses and drug poisonings in the 12-month period ending in January 2022. A staggering 67% of those deaths involved synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Some of these deaths were attributed to fentanyl mixed with other illicit drugs like cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin, with many users unaware they were actually taking fentanyl.
This article originally appeared on The Shelby Star: Shelby man sentenced to federal prison for trafficking lethal drug
