ASHEVILLE, N.C. – In a chilling revelation, Megan Emily Tate, 28, of Sylva, N.C., pleaded guilty today before U.S. Magistrate Judge W. Carleton Metcalf to distributing fentanyl that resulted in serious bodily injury, according to Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Division of the DEA and Sheriff Doug Farmer of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office were among those who joined in announcing Tate’s plea.
Court documents and today’s hearing revealed that in April 2021, Tate was arrested for suspected fentanyl distribution. During her custody at the Jackson County Detention Center, she supplied two inmates with fentanyl, leading to overdoses that required hospitalization. One victim was placed on a ventilator but both later recovered.
According to the DEA, fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine, making it the deadliest drug threat in the U.S. The CDC reports over 100,000 deaths due to drug overdoses and poisonings, with 67% involving synthetic opioids like fentanyl.
Tate faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison at her sentencing hearing, which has not yet been set. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Kent is prosecuting the case.
U.S. Attorney King expressed gratitude for the DEA’s Asheville Post of Duty and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office for their investigation.
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Key Facts
- State: North Carolina
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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