A Catawba County jury returned a guilty verdict in a drug trafficking case for a Newton man to conclude a four-day trial in Catawba County Superior Court on Thursday, July 31, 2025.
Tyrus Terrill Sanders, 48, was sentenced to serve 20 to 26 years in prison after the jury rendered its verdict following about an hour and a half of deliberations over two days. The defendant later admitted his status as a habitual felon, enhancing his period of incarceration.
The Honorable Peter Knight, Superior Court Judge from Henderson County, imposed terms of the active sentence for Sanders, including a mandatory fine of $1.5 million.
The jury found Sanders guilty of trafficking fentanyl by transportation, trafficking fentanyl by possession and maintaining vehicle/dwelling/place for controlled substance.
The defendant will serve his period of incarceration in custody of the North Carolina Division of Adult Corrections.
His sentence length was enhanced by prior felony convictions for attempted trafficking of opium/heroin (May 2021), maintain vehicle/dwelling/place for controlled substance (February 2018) and sell/deliver Schedule II controlled substance (April 2010), all in Gaston County.
The trial started on Monday, July 28, 2025, with jury selection that stretched into Tuesday prior to opening arguments and evidence presentation. Closing arguments took place on Wednesday afternoon, sending the case to the jury for deliberation.
Sanders, who had been under surveillance for suspected narcotics transactions, was stopped for speeding and not wearing a seat belt on February 27, 2024, by a deputy with the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies noted a passenger attempting to conceal something as they approached. Sanders and the passenger were then asked to exit the vehicle.
The passenger dropped something and told deputies it was fentanyl. Following a search of the passenger, the vehicle was searched, and multiple bags of controlled substances were found. The defendant was taken into custody at that time.
The substances were sent to the North Carolina State Crime Lab for analysis and were found to be trafficking amounts of fentanyl.
Nathan Byrd was the lead investigator for Maiden Police Department, providing assistance to the Catawba County Narcotics Task Force. Assistant District Attorney Howard Wellons prosecuted the matter for the State with aid from Legal Assistant Meredith Scott.