Christopher Luis Mejia, a 28-year-old man from Beaufort, pled guilty to Death by Distribution of Fentanyl in connection with the overdose death of 25-year-old Chandler Stewart from Morehead City. Mejia received a prison sentence ranging from 58 to 82 months during the December session of Carteret County Superior Court.
The case stems from an incident on January 21, 2022, when Carteret County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a possible overdose at Stewart’s Morehead City home. Stewart’s girlfriend found him unresponsive on the kitchen floor, and he was transported to Carteret Health Care, where he was placed on life support. A small bag of white powder found in his wallet was later confirmed to be fentanyl. Stewart died on January 22, 2022, from fentanyl toxicity.
A forensic examination of Stewart’s cell phone revealed that, in the early hours of January 21, he had texted Mejia about drugs. A Cash App transaction showed Stewart had made two payments totaling $200 to Mejia’s wife. During an interview, Mejia confirmed he had met Stewart at a drug rehab facility in Wilmington, N.C., and sold him fentanyl.
District Attorney Scott Thomas emphasized the office’s commitment to prosecuting drug dealers responsible for overdose deaths, stating, “We fight illegal drugs and their deadly consequences on every front.” Sheriff Asa Buck added, “Fentanyl is deadly poison, and we will not tolerate drug dealers preying upon others’ addictions.”
The investigation was led by Carteret County Sheriff’s Office detectives, with Assistant District Attorney David L. Spence prosecuting the case. Chief Resident Superior Court Judge Clinton Rowe presided over the session.
