A Buncombe County man received a stiff prison sentence after pleading guilty in Haywood County Superior Court to trafficking illegal drugs and other crimes. A judge ordered Eric Joseph Gaines, 39, to serve a maxium of up to 175 months behind bars. The charges stem from a Sept. 28, 2022, traffic stop along I-40 near Canton, in which police uncovered a large amount of drugs, a gun and a large amount of cash.
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