ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — A 35-year-old Asheville man has been sentenced to more than 28 years in federal prison for trafficking large quantities of fentanyl, methamphetamine and other drugs throughout Western North Carolina, federal prosecutors said in a news release.
Zachery Micah Rice was sentenced to 342 months (28.5 years) in prison and five years of supervised release, according to U.S. Attorney Dena J. King of the Western District of North Carolina.
Court documents show that from 2021 to 2023, Rice was a key supplier of methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine in Buncombe, Henderson and Transylvania counties. Investigators said he sourced the drugs from a supplier in Atlanta and distributed them through a local drug network.
During one trip, law enforcement stopped and searched Rice’s vehicle, seizing more than 11.5 kilograms of methamphetamine, a .40-caliber pistol equipped with a machine gun conversion device known as a “Glock switch,” and more than $32,000 in cash, the news release said.
Search warrants executed at stash houses and a storage unit linked to Rice uncovered additional kilogram quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine, multiple firearms, high-capacity magazines, ammunition, digital scales, drug paraphernalia and more than $27,000 in cash, according to the news release.
Rice pleaded guilty on Oct. 18, 2024, to conspiracy to possess methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; possession of a firearm by a felon; and possession of a machine gun.
He remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transfer to a federal Bureau of Prisons facility.
Federal authorities credited the investigation to a collaborative effort among numerous local, state and federal agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and multiple sheriff’s offices and police departments across North and South Carolina.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher S. Hess in Asheville prosecuted the case.
The investigation was part of Operation Take Back America, a national Department of Justice initiative aimed at dismantling drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations, while targeting violent crime through coordinated efforts with the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods.