Prior Federal Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – A prior federal drug trafficker was sentenced to prison yesterday for distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl throughout Burke and Catawba Counties, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Rodney Justin Crisp, 38, of Morganton, N.C., was sentenced to 14 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release. On January 5, 2026, Crisp pleaded guilty to distributing methamphetamine. According to filed court documents and the sentencing hearing, in June 2024, the Burke County Sheriff’s Office initiated an investigation into Crisp for distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl in Burke and Catawba Counties. Investigators developed a confidential source who began purchasing methamphetamine and fentanyl from Crisp. Prior to each controlled purchase, the confidential source communicated with Crisp to arrange the transaction, then travelled to various locations in Burke and Catawba Counties to purchase the drugs. During the investigation, the confidential source engaged in multiple controlled drug transactions with Crisp. On October 13, 2025, deputies with the Burke County Sheriff’s Office encountered Crisp and two passengers in a vehicle. Deputies executed a federal arrest warrant. A search of the vehicle uncovered numerous small, empty clear plastic baggies in and around the driver’s seat and center console, as well as a leather bag on the rear center floorboard. Inside the bag, deputies located drug paraphernalia and a smaller purple bag containing methamphetamine. Crisp is currently in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation to a federal facility. In making the announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked the Burke County Sheriff’s Office and the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, for their investigation of the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Hess of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville prosecuted the case. This case is part of Operation Take Back America , a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.