Repeat Federal Drug Trafficker and Girlfriend Sentenced to Prison

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Two fentanyl and methamphetamine traffickers were sentenced to prison yesterday, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Jason Mills, 47, of Hendersonville, N.C., was sentenced to 135 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Mills pleaded guilty to distribution of fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl. Mills was on federal probation for a federal cocaine trafficking conviction in Florida when he reoffended. His 10-year sentence will run at the expiration of his federal probation sentence for violating his probation. Stephanie Hope Lindsey, 40, of East Flat Rock, N.C., was ordered to serve 46 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Lindsey pleaded guilty to distribution of fentanyl. “Fentanyl is a highly addictive and deadly drug, and today’s sentences reflect our commitment to protecting lives and combating this scourge across communities in the western district,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. According to court documents and the sentencing hearing, law enforcement initiated an investigation into Mills for supplying fentanyl and methamphetamine in Henderson and Buncombe Counties. His girlfriend, Lindsey, was also involved in Mills’s drug trafficking activities. Between January and February 2024, Mills and Lindsey were involved in multiple drug transactions, selling fentanyl and methamphetamine to an individual cooperating with law enforcement. At times, Lindsey executed the drug transactions coordinated by Mills. Other times, Mills sold the drugs while Lindsey drove him to the agreed locations. Mills also handled some of the drug transactions on his own. On February 12, 2024, investigators executed a search warrant at Mills’s residence in Asheville, seizing 86.38 grams of fentanyl, 87 grams of methamphetamine, a digital scale, and $2,000 in U.S. currency. On the same day, law enforcement also searched Mills’s vehicle, where they found two magnetic boxes in the engine compartment containing 69 multi-colored pills containing methamphetamine, and two baggies that contained fentanyl and methamphetamine. Both defendants are in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation to a federal facility. In making the announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Asheville Police Department for their investigation of the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Hess of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville prosecuted the case. This case is part of Operation Take Back America , a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.