She’s accused of running an illicit drug operation involving counterfeit “M30” pills containing fentanyl.
A 33-year-old Anderson woman faces multiple charges related to an alleged drug ring in Madison County.
Police arrested Asia Hendrix following a lengthy investigation that dates back to at least August 2022. She was booked into the Madison County Jail on May 25, according to jail records, and is being held on a $1 million cash bond. Hendrix is charged with multiple counts of dealing in a narcotic drug, along with corrupt business influence and money laundering.
She’s accused of running an illicit drug operation involving counterfeit “M30” pills containing fentanyl.
According to court documents, sergeant with the Anderson Police Department received information in August 2022 that Hendrix and another man were returning from Arizona with a large amount of drugs. They were stopped in Oklahoma, where investigators seized about five kilograms of methamphetamine and about 28,000 counterfeit pills containing what police suspected to be fentanyl.
Marvin McCloud, who was traveling with Hendrix, claimed responsibility for the drugs, leading to Hendrix’s release. McCloud faces a drug trafficking case in Oklahoma as a result of the stop. He’s also charged in connection with Hendrix’s alleged drug operation.
In October 2022, a deputy with the Meade County Sheriff’s Office in Kansas stopped a pickup truck for speeding. The deputy found blue-green pills stamped “M30” in a Jack in the Box bag hidden in one of the truck’s tires. Hendrix had rented and paid for the truck, according to court documents.
The Madison County Drug Task Force began conducting surveillance on Hendrix at her Anderson home in January 2023.
On Jan. 17, they observed what appeared to be a drug transaction involving Hendrix outside her home. A car pulled up; a Mitsubishi Outlander registered to Hendrix then arrived. Hendrix got out, spent about a minute inside the man’s vehicle and then exited. When police tried to stop the vehicle, the driver took off.
Police lost sight of the car, but a Madison County sheriff’s deputy located a vehicle matching its description and attempted to stop it. The driver again took off, going at a high rate of speed and eventually crashing into a fence. Police arrested the driver, identified as Corey Chesnut, on charges of resisting law enforcement and reckless driving.
The next day, officers discovered a package containing about 1,000 M30 pills along the route Chesnut took as he tried to get away. A field test showed the pills contained fentanyl.
Chesnut now faces charges in connection with the Hendrix case.
Starting in March 2023, officers conducted two controlled purchases involving Hendrix.
The first happened on March 9, with Hendrix meeting a criminal informant at a location in Anderson. Hendrix delivered 200 pills M30 pills in exchange for $350, according to court documents.
Police conducted a second such purchase on April 19. Hendrix met an informant and sold the individual 400 M30 pills for in exchange for cash, police said.
On May 23, the Madison County Drug Task Force conducted additional surveillance on Hendrix. She parked next to a Yukon XL at the CVS at 2003 Broadway St. The driver of the Yukon got into Hendrix’s vehicle, spent about a minute inside and then returned to the Yukon.
Police learned the driver’s license had been suspended and initiated a traffic stop on N. Scatterfield Road and Thornwood Drive. After obtaining a warrant, a detective found a plastic bag of M30 pills hidden inside the trim molding of the center console under the dashboard. Investigators also found a digital scale. According to court documents, police seized about 1,000 pills. Again, a field test showed they were positive for fentanyl.
The driver, Ashley McClelland, is now charged with dealing in a narcotic drug and possession of a narcotic drug in the Hendrix case.
On May 24, investigators followed Hendrix as she left her home and traveled to Indianapolis, where she stopped at an apartment complex located near 56th Street and Shadeland Avenue. She stayed there briefly and then left.
The SUV stopped at a gas station. A man later identified as Kevin Stewart entered Hendrix’s SUV and emerged with a Gucci bag. Police stopped both vehicles. While they didn’t find anything in Hendrix’s SUV, a search of the other vehicle “yielded thousands of blue ‘M30’ pills” in the aforementioned Gucci bag. Like the others, the blue-green pills were marked M30 and field tested positive for fentanyl.
Stewart agreed to an interview with police. He said Hendrix paid him $200 on Cash App to transport the pills. He admitted he’d “done these trips multiple times for her in the past,” according to court documents. He’s now charged with dealing in a narcotic drug and corrupt business influence.
Throughout the course of the investigation into Hendrix, investigators seized about eight kilograms (17 pounds, 10 ounces) of M30 pills. The street value of the drugs ranges between $71,000 and $284,000, according to police estimates.
Hendrix has already had her initial hearing. The court hasn’t yet set a trial date.
Tags: Arrests Counterfeit Oxy Drug Trafficking DTO Fentanyl M30 Opioid Crisis
