Man accused of drug trafficking facing life in prison
A 47-year-old man is in the Taney County Jail looking at the possibility of the rest of his life behind bars.
Eric Combs is facing one count of First-Degree Trafficking Drugs or Attempt, a Class A felony, which upon conviction can bring a life sentence.
According to a probable cause statement from the Taney County Sheriff’s Office, deputies allege they observed Combs in a blue Hyundai pull into a hotel near the intersection of Shepherd of the Hills Expressway and 76 Country Boulevard. Deputies engaged and placed Combs into custody for driving with a revoked driver’s license.
A search of Combs uncovered $2,239 in cash. A baggie with a powder-like substance was viewed in the open in the center console of the vehicle, so deputies sought a search warrant for the vehicle.
The search of the vehicle allowed for the collection of the baggie and the powder-like substance. The investigator felt the substance was most likely fentanyl based on previous drug investigations. They found a plastic container labeled “Mannitol 1 oz.”
“Mannitol is a substance used to cut fentanyl to increase the profit of the seller,” the investigator wrote in the report.
The investigator found a new coffee grinder in its box on the front passenger seat. He said based on his experience with prior investigations, coffee grinders were used to mix uncut and compressed fentanyl with a cutting substance like Mannitol.
The substance in the baggie was tested with a narcotic analyzer and tested positive for a fentanyl compound or methamphetamine. The preliminary weight of the drugs was 24.058 grams with the packaging. The requirement for a Class A felony drug trafficking charge is 14 milligrams.
The material in the bottle labeled Mannitol tested positive for that drug, and was weighed at 61.42 grams.
Investigators noted in the report Combs was convicted on drug charges in 2007 and 2022 along with being found in December 2025 during a traffic stop with two pounds of methamphetamine and two ounces of fentanyl.
Combs is currently in the Taney County Jail without bond.
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