ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Charmaine Vapreece Fair, 32, of Asheville, was sentenced Thursday to 66 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson announced. She was also sentenced to five years of supervised release.
Court records show that from 2021 to 2023, Fair participated in a drug trafficking conspiracy involving methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine in Buncombe, Henderson and Transylvania counties. Her boyfriend, Zachery Micah Rice, the primary supplier, obtained drugs from Atlanta and transported them to Western North Carolina for distribution through a local network.
During one of Rice’s trips, law enforcement stopped and searched his vehicle, seizing more than 11.5 kilograms of methamphetamine, a .40-caliber pistol modified to fully automatic and more than $32,600 in cash. Subsequent search warrants at two stash houses, including Fair’s apartment and a storage unit used by Rice, uncovered kilogram quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine, multiple firearms, high-capacity magazines, ammunition, digital scales, drug paraphernalia and more than $27,400 in cash.
Fair admitted to handling money for Rice, delivering drugs to customers, and distributing prepackaged, weighed drugs in exchange for cash.
She pleaded guilty on June 9, 2025, to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and will report to a federal prison once designated.
Rice was sentenced in May to more than 28 years in prison. His supplier, Les Corey Peak of Georgia, received a 20-year sentence in November.
In announcing the sentence, Ferguson thanked the DEA, ATF, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, North Carolina SBI, Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, Anderson County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina, Asheville Police Department, Waynesville Police Department, Cherokee Indian Police Department, Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office, Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office, Haywood County Sheriff’s Office, Swain County Sheriff’s Office, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Clay County Sheriff’s Office and Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office for their work on the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher S. Hess prosecuted the case.
The case was part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative aimed at dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protecting communities from violent crime.