Two drug dealers sentenced to years behind bars
OROVILLE >> Butte County Superior Court sentenced two Butte County drug dealers on Thursday for possession of drugs.
Thai Thao, 44, of Oroville, was sentenced to nine years and eight months in state prison after pleading no contest to charges of possession of methamphetamine for sale, possession of heroin for sale and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Thao also admitted to a prior felony possession for sale convictions.
Thao’s conviction follows a search of his Feather Avenue residence in Oroville on Nov. 4 completed by Butte Interagency Narcotics Task Force. BINTF agents located 14.58 pounds of methamphetamine, 2.17 pounds of heroin and a loaded firearm, previously reported as stolen.
The second conviction was for Shawn Charles Nowlin, 49, of Chico. Nowlin entered a plea of no contest to counts of possession of methamphetamine for sale, possession of heroin for sale and possession of fentanyl for sale.
As a part of his plea, Nowlin agreed to a sentence of six years and eight months in county jail. His sentencing follows an April 9 traffic stop for a speeding violation during which a Butte County Sheriff’s K-9 was released. The K-9 alerted deputies to the presence of narcotics leading to a search of Nowlin’s truck.
During their initial search, deputies located 29.23 grams of methamphetamine and what the Butte County District Attorney’s Office described as “hundreds of counterfeit oxycodone pills.” The found pills were later tested and confirmed to be laced with fentanyl.
Following discovery of the drugs, BINTF agents arrived on scene and conducted a more thorough search, removing the trim to the truck’s tailgate. According to the DA’s office, underneath the tailgate was a total of 25 pounds of methamphetamine, 1.4 pounds of heroin, and 1.2 pounds of fentanyl in a hidden compartment.
In a press release on Thursday, District Attorney Mike Ramsey noted the amount of fentanyl seized from Nowlin was enough to amount to over 544,000 doses. Ramsey added an amount of fentanyl as small at 2 milligrams could lead to a fatal overdose.
Overdose deaths increased by 34 percent in Butte County between 2019 and 2020, Ramsey said. From January 1 to April 12, 11 deaths in the county have been associated to fentanyl. The DA’s office added the number of deaths in the time period exceeds the total number of fentanyl related deaths for the entirety of 2020.