Morganton Man Sentenced to 14 Years for Methamphetamine and Fentanyl Trafficking

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — A Morganton man who previously served time in federal prison for drug trafficking has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl in Burke and Catawba counties.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina, 38-year-old Rodney Justin Crisp of Morganton was sentenced Wednesday to 14 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

Crisp pleaded guilty on January 5, 2026, to distributing methamphetamine.

Investigation Began in 2024

Court documents show the Burke County Sheriff's Office began investigating Crisp in June 2024 over allegations that he was distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl throughout Burke and Catawba counties.

Investigators worked with a confidential source who made multiple controlled purchases of drugs from Crisp. Before each purchase, the source communicated with Crisp to arrange the transaction and traveled to various locations in the two counties to buy the drugs.

The investigation continued for more than a year.

On October 13, 2025, Burke County deputies encountered Crisp and two other people in a vehicle. Deputies executed a federal arrest warrant and searched the vehicle.

According to court documents, investigators found numerous small, empty clear plastic bags in and around the driver's seat and center console, along with a leather bag on the rear floorboard.

Inside the leather bag, deputies found drug paraphernalia and a smaller purple bag containing methamphetamine.

Crisp is currently in federal custody and will be transferred to the Federal Bureau of Prisons once he is designated to a federal facility.

Officials Thank Local Investigators

U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson credited the Burke County Sheriff's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with their work investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Hess of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Asheville prosecuted the case.

The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative targeting illegal immigration, transnational criminal organizations and violent crime.

This story is based on information released by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of North Carolina.