Horse Shoe man found guilty of trafficking in meth, gets 11 to 15 years in prison

On Nov. 19, a Henderson County jury, after a several days-long trial, found Mark Alan Miller, 51, of Horse Shoe guilty of two counts of trafficking in illicit drugs.

Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Peter Knight sentenced Miller to 70-93 months for trafficking in methamphetamine to be followed by a sentence of 70-93 months for trafficking in opioids (hydrocodone pills).

The total prison sentence imposed was 140-186 months (11-15 years) for both counts, Andrew Murray, district attorney for Henderson, Polk and Transylvania counties, said in a news release.

According to court records and Friday’s sentencing hearing, the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office received multiple complaints that the defendant was using and selling methamphetamine at his residence, and a confidential informant was used to buy the drug from the defendant.

On Nov. 8, 2018, deputies executed a search warrant of Miller’s residence at 77 Old Souther Road in Horse Shoe. They found Miller at the home with a large cache of several different types of illicit drugs, including 59.05 grams of methamphetamine and 5.54 grams of hydrocodone.

Miller was mirandized and admitted to distributing illicit drugs from his residence to numerous buyers, according to court records and the sentencing hearing. The drugs were later tested by the N.C. Crime Lab and confirmed to be methamphetamine and hydrocodone tablets.

Assistant District Attorney Heather Brittain handled the prosecution of the case.

Several other felony cases were handled during this two-week trial calendar that concluded Nov. 19. Robert Lee Shugart, 38, of Hendersonville pleaded guilty to possession with intent to sell and/or deliver methamphetamine and admitting to being a habitual felon.

Shugart received a sentence of 103 to 136 months in prison.

This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Horse Shoe NC man found guilty of trafficking in meth