Frank Anthony Merhi, 37, of Vale, was given an active prison sentence of seven to 10 years following his conviction for trafficking fentanyl by possession during Catawba County Superior Court on Monday, July 27, 2026.
The sentence was imposed by Superior Court Judge David H. Strickland of Mecklenburg County after Merhi entered a guilty plea.
Merhi also was assessed a mandatory fine of $750,000.
The defendant will serve his incarceration period in the custody of the North Carolina Division of Adult Corrections.
Merhi was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped for having a brake light out. On August 5, 2025, a K9 unit alerted to the presence of narcotics during a free air sniff of the vehicle.
After the occupants were removed from the vehicle, a search was conducted, and paraphernalia was found.
Investigator Samuel Helms found a gray plastic bag tied in a knot on the side of the road near the traffic stop. In it was a white, powdery substance that later was confirmed to be a trafficking amount of fentanyl by the State Crime Lab. The bag was lying in wet grass but was still dry.
Further investigation and interviews with Merhi and the driver of the vehicle revealed that she gave him the bag of drugs and told him to throw it out the window when they saw blue lights behind them.
The investigation was conducted by Samuel Helms of the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant District Attorney Melanie Earles prosecuted the case for the State with assistance from Legal Assistant Jordan Arney.