CHEROKEE, N.C. – Two Murphy, North Carolina, residents were arrested in Gilmer County on drug-related charges following a joint investigation involving law enforcement agencies in North Carolina and Georgia.

According to the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, investigators with the agency’s Narcotics Division developed information indicating that Anthony Joe Ray and Teua Rae Johnson were using a rental vehicle to travel into Georgia and transport illegal narcotics back into Cherokee County, North Carolina. Investigators then coordinated with law enforcement partners in Georgia to further the investigation.

On June 17, deputies with the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle. During the stop, authorities reportedly recovered suspected fentanyl, resulting in the arrest of both occupants.

Anthony Joe Ray, 39, of Murphy, was charged with felony possession of a Schedule II controlled substance and an outstanding warrant from Cherokee County, Georgia.

Teua Rae Johnson, 37, of Murphy, was charged with felony possession of a Schedule II controlled substance and an outstanding warrant from Cherokee County, Georgia.

Cherokee County Sheriff Chris Wood credited the successful operation to cooperation among agencies across the region.

“As we have said in the past, we cannot do what we do without the help of our partner agencies throughout the region,” Wood said. “I am thankful for the collaboration between agencies that results in the removal of the poison that flows into our communities.”

The investigation involved the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Division, the Union County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia, and the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office.

All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.