Read the original article on the Sampson Independent website.
A fentanyl overdose that killed a Clinton woman earlier this year has led to the arrest of a 32-year-old man who authorities believe supplied the drug that took her life.
Christopher Trevon Graham, of Clinton, was taken into custody late Tuesday and charged with multiple felonies related to the woman’s death. The arrest, noted Sheriff’s Capt. Marcus Smith, came on the heels of a months-long county probe into the overdose and a review of the charges Friday by the District Attorney’s Office, which gave the go-ahead to make the arrest.
Graham was arrested on outstanding warrants for two counts death by distribution of certain controlled substances and possession with intent to manufacture, sell or distribute a Schedule II controlled substance.
The probe, Smith said, began in March 2025 in partnership with the FBI after the Clinton woman died from an apparent fentanyl overdose.
Evidence gathered during that investigation, the captain said, identified Graham as the supplier of the fatal dose.
Graham was located Tuesday in a vehicle on Bonnetsville Road and taken into custody without incident.
He has a prior record that includes multiple felony conviction related to firearms and narcotics trafficking.
Graham is currently being held without bond in the Sampson County Detention Center and is expected to make a first appearance on those charges later this week.
“This arrest underscores our agency’s continued commitment to identify and prosecute those responsible for distributing dangerous drugs in our community,” noted Sheriff Jimmy Thornton in a prepared statement. “We will not stop pursuing individuals who profit from poisoning our citizens.”
Information from the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner notes that over 1,900 overdose deaths in 2024 were attributed to use of fentanyl.
Statewide, the information noted, communities continue to face rising threats from unregulated and deadly mixtures of illicit substances.
The Death by Distribution Law, enacted in 2019 and revised in 2023, allows law enforcement officers and prosecutors to hold drug suppliers accountable for overdose deaths.
The charge against Graham is classified as a Class B1 to Class C felony in North Carolina punishable by a potential prison sentence of 10 to 30 years.
“The Sampson County Sheriff’s Office remains committed to working with state and federal partners to aggressively combat drug trafficking and safeguard the health and safety of its residents,” attested Smith.
