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Nicholas Eugene Bollinger, 33, of Valdese, pleaded guilty to felony trafficking in opium/heroin and was sentenced Monday to a minimum of five years to a maximum of about seven and a half years in prison, according to a release from the Burke County Sheriff’s Office.

Emily Jane Clawson, 32, of Valdese, pleaded guilty to felony trafficking in opium/heroin and was sentenced on Wednesday to a minimum of five years to a maximum of about seven and a half years in prison, according to a release from the sheriff’s office.

Bollinger and Clawson were arrested on July 11 after the Burke County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at their home as part of an ongoing narcotics investigation, the release said.

During the search, investigators found fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine and guns, including one that was stolen, the release said.

Bollinger and Clawson were both arrested and charged with felony trafficking in opium/heroin, felony possession of methamphetamine and felony possession of cocaine, the sheriff’s office said.

Bollinger was given a suspended sentence and probation in February 2023 for misdemeanor breaking and entering and larceny, according to the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction.

In 2014, Clawson was given a suspended sentence and probation for a larceny and possession of stolen goods conviction in Caldwell County, according to the NC Department of Adult Correction. In 2015, she received a suspended sentence and probation for a larceny conviction, also in Caldwell County, according to the department.