ACSO arrests pair on drug charges

NEWLAND — Two individuals were charged with drug offenses according to a press release from Avery County Sheriff Mike Henley.

On June 28, narcotics detectives with the Avery County Sheriff’s Office arrested 48-year-old Samantha Dawn Coffey during a covert operation involving Avery-Mitchell correctional facility, the release stated. Coffey was charged with trafficking opiates, possession with intent to sell/deliver a Schedule III controlled substance (x2), possession with intent to sell/deliver marijuana, and possession of controlled substance on jail/prison premises. Coffey is currently held under a $35,000 bond, according to the release.

Henley also reported that on June 12, detectives and officers with the Avery County Sheriff’s Office conducted a check of a suspicious person in the Elk Park community. During the encounter, Luther Ryan Ollis, 40, of Elk Park was charged with possession with intent to sell/deliver methamphetamine. Ollis is currently held under a $22,000 bond, according to the release.