ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — A Buncombe County man has been sentenced to a minimum of 70 months in prison following his conviction for drug trafficking related to an arrest in May 2024.
On May 8, 2024, Asheville Police Department (APD) deputies conducted a “proactive enforcement” operation near Haywood Road, where they stopped a vehicle displaying fictitious tags. During the traffic stop, officers discovered that the occupants were in possession of a substantial amount of drugs, including 11.48 grams of fentanyl and 5 dosage units (DU) of ecstasy.
Dustin Ray Norton, 27, was arrested and charged with trafficking opium and felony possession of Schedule I and Schedule II controlled substances. Norton pled guilty on January 27, 2025, to one count of felony trafficking in opium/heroin, one count of felony possession of a Schedule I controlled substance, and one count of felony possession of a Schedule II controlled substance.
As a result, Norton was sentenced to a mandatory 70-93 months in prison and ordered to pay a $500,000 fine.
