John Edward Bradley, a 50-year-old man from Cherokee, N.C., has been sentenced to seven years in prison for drug trafficking, specifically dealing in fentanyl. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of North Carolina, led by U.S. Attorney Dena J. King, confirmed Bradley's sentencing which will be followed by three years of supervised release. This comes after Bradley was previously convicted and incarcerated for a federal firearms offense.
As detailed in the proceedings, Bradley was under federal supervision when a probation officer issued an arrest warrant for him in June 2023, suspecting a supervision violation. Law enforcement subsequently apprehended Bradley during a traffic stop in Cherokee when they discovered an active warrant. He confessed to having narcotics, which were found in his possession, leading to his re-arrest. According to a statement obtained by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Bradley admitted to an intent to distribute fentanyl.
Items seized from Bradley included two baggies containing illegal substances—one larger baggie with fentanyl and a smaller one with methamphetamine—were confirmed by laboratory analysis. His guilty plea to the possession with intent to distribute fentanyl was entered on December 20, 2023. Bradley now awaits transfer to a federal prison facility, as he is currently held in federal custody.
The apprehension and prosecution of Bradley was a combined effort by the DEA, the Cherokee Indian Police Department, and the Cherokee Alcohol Law Enforcement, with the U.S. Probation Office in the Western District of North Carolina aiding the operation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex Scott is credited with prosecuting the case.
