BLUE RIDGE, Ga.
Woman faces drug charges
The Cherokee County (N.C.) Sheriff’s Office has concluded a two-month investigation into the distribution of fentanyl into Cherokee County resulting in the arrest of Ashli Shawnai Roberts of Murphy, N.C.
 |
Law enforcement received information that Roberts was on her way back to Murphy from Atlanta with a large quantity of fentanyl, according to a sheriff’s office release. Investigators contacted the Fannin County Sheriff’s Office and requested its assistance. Roberts was located and a vehicle stop conducted in Blue Ridge.
During the vehicle stop, a trafficking amount of fentanyl was located in the vehicle that Roberts later admitted to possessing, according to the release
“Roberts also admitted to being responsible for the sale of ounces of fentanyl in Cherokee County that investigators were able to tie to multiple overdose incidents as well as other law violations within Cherokee County,” according to the release.
“We express our appreciation to the Fannin County Sheriff’s Office for their continued support and the teamwork that it takes to combat the drug problems within our communities,” Cherokee County Sheriff Dustin Smith said.
Roberts was being held in the Fannin County Detention Center without a bond for drug trafficking charges.
BRASSTOWN
Meeting on fire tonight
Peachtree Fire & Rescue will be holding a meeting for community members who reside only in the Cherokee County portion of the Brasstown area.
The meeting is to discuss Peachtree Fire & Rescue taking over fire and rescue services to the Cherokee County portion of the Brasstown community beginning on July 1, 2026.
The meeting will take place at 6 p.m. today in the auditorium at John C. Campbell Folk School.
“We encourage all to attend with any questions or concerns they may have,” Peachtree Fire Chief Jordan Messer said.
WASHINGTON
Tillis seeking probe on pot
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) urged U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi last week to investigate the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians over cannabis sales that he alleged target young people and involve illegal transportation of a controlled substance, according to N.C. Newsline.
During a Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing, Tillis told Bondi the tribe’s marketing of recreational marijuana grown and sold on its land reminds him of the tobacco industry’s marketing tactics. He singled out a promotion for pumpkin spice-flavored cannabis products among other Halloween offerings.
“This worries me because this is a money-making enterprise,” he said. “It kind of seems like it’s preying on younger people.”
Because of tribal sovereignty, federally recognized tribes like the EBCI are able to exercise their own authority over regulation of the cannabis industry. EBCI Principal Chief Michell Hicks criticized Tillis for misrepresenting the tribe’s cannabis industry, asserting that its operations are “fully compliant with federal and tribal law.”
“Sen. Thom Tillis knows full well that the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians operates squarely within the law. Yet once again, he has chosen to ignore that truth to advance his own political agenda,” Hicks said in a statement. “To suggest the EBCI would endanger children through marketing or sales practices is inaccurate and it is offensive to the values that guide our tribe.”
Compiled by Publisher David Brown. Editor Randy Foster contributed to this report.