Asheville man sentenced to more than nine years in prison for drug trafficking
In separate case, Leicester, N.C. man sentenced to nine years for drug trafficking
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Today U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger sentenced Shannon Dale Henson, 46, of Asheville, to 112 months in prison, announced Andrew Murray, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Judge Reidinger also ordered Henson to serve four years under court supervision upon completion of his prison sentence.
According to filed court documents and today’s sentencing hearing, on two separate occasions, Henson was found to be in possession of methamphetamine. Specifically, on June 14, 2019, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle in which Henson was a passenger. Over the course of the traffic stop, law enforcement recovered more than six ounces of methamphetamine from inside the vehicle. On July 21, 2019, law enforcement conducted another traffic stop of the vehicle in which Henson was a passenger, this time recovering more than three ounces of methamphetamine from inside the vehicle. Court records show that Henson has multiple prior criminal convictions, including assault and drug related charges. On December 20, 2019, Henson pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
In making the announcement, U.S. Attorney Murray thanked the Hendersonville Office of Homeland Security Investigations; the Polk County Sheriff’s Office; and the North Carolina State Highway Patrol for handling Henson’s investigation.
In a separate case, Judge Reidinger also sentenced Prophet Karim Hadialim Allah a/k/a “Prophet Allah” a/k/a “Profit,” 47, of Leicester, North Carolina to 108 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. According to court documents and today’s sentencing hearing, Allah was part of an eight-defendant drug trafficking conspiracy operating in Buncombe County, including in and around the Bartlett Arms Apartments in Asheville. Court records show that, between October and November 2018, and over the course of the conspiracy, Allah distributed more than 15 ounces of methamphetamine to a co-conspirator, and made several deliveries of methamphetamine at the request of another co-conspirator. Allah, who has multiple prior felony convictions, pled guilty on November 22, 2019, to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute narcotics.
U.S. Attorney Murray commended the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Asheville Police Department’s Drug Suppression Unit; the Buncombe County Anti-Crime Task Force; the Black Mountain Police Department; the Wilkes County Sheriff’s Office; and the Hendersonville Office of Homeland Security Investigations for handling Allah’s investigation, and thanked the Asheville Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division; the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office Community Enforcement Team; the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation; and the Asheville Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for their invaluable assistance in this case.
Both defendants are in custody and upon designation of a federal facility they will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons. All federal sentences are served without the possibility of parole.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Kent, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville, prosecuted both cases.
The DEA encourages parents, along with their children, to educate themselves about the dangers of legal and illegal drugs by visiting DEA’s interactive websites at www.justhinktwice.com, www.GetSmartAboutDrugs.com, www.campusdrugprevention.org and www.dea.gov. Also follow DEA Atlanta via Twitter at @DEAATLANTADiv.