On 10/11/24 at 9:02 PM, Clay County Sgt. Steven Smith, Investigator Nick Queen, and Lt. Tyler Faggard stopped a vehicle in the Ingles Grocery Store parking lot in Hayesville. Rashied Richardson, 38, of Asheville, was a passenger in the vehicle, which was being driven by his uncle, Darrell Harper, of Black Mountain. As Richardson stepped out of the vehicle, Investigator Queen noted a wet, white, powdery substance—suspected to be fentanyl—on the floor mat.
A consensual search of Richardson’s person yielded a clear plastic bag from between his buttocks. The bag contained two separate baggies: one held a substance that field-tested positive for fentanyl, and the other held a substance that field-tested positive for cocaine. The wet powdery substance observed on the passenger floorboard was collected and is believed to have been fentanyl that Richardson attempted to destroy by adding liquid and pouring it onto the floor mat.
The combined weight of the seized fentanyl, including the amount on the floor mat, was between 4 and 15 grams. Richardson was ultimately charged with Felony Trafficking in Fentanyl, Felony Possession with Intent to Sell or Deliver Cocaine, and Felony Destruction of Evidence. Because Richardson was already out on bond in Buncombe County for Trafficking in Fentanyl, he was held without bond for 48 hours and issued a $130,000 secured bond.
All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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