ATLANTA, Georgia (Atlanta News First) – A man accused of trafficking fentanyl is behind bars after a young man died of an overdose last month, according to Gwinnett County police.

Emory Clark, 39, faces manslaughter charges under Austin law, a law signed by Governor Brian Kemp in late April that allows fentanyl dealers to be charged if someone who took the drugs they supplied dies.

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The law is named after Austin Walters, a Georgia man who died after unknowingly taking a Xanax pill laced with fentanyl.

The investigation into Clark began on July 31 after police found 23-year-old Christian Howell dead in the bedroom of a Lawrenceville home surrounded by illegal drugs. Investigators used phone records and other sources to track down Clark as the suspected dealer who had sold to Howell, police said.

On Tuesday, officers executed a search warrant on Clark’s home and took him into custody. During the search, they said they found “special narcotics packages” similar to those found in Howell’s home, as well as a stolen handgun.

Clark is also charged with sale of a Schedule II controlled substance, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and theft by receiving stolen property.

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