Morganton meth trafficker sentenced to 17 years in prison

Reginald Curtis sold methamphetamine to an undercover officer; deputies later found about 1.2 kilograms in his vehicle.

A Morganton man who distributed large quantities of methamphetamine in Burke and Catawba counties has been sentenced to 17½ years in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina.

U.S. District Judge Matthew E. Orso sentenced Reginald Curtis, 47, to 210 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Curtis pleaded guilty in October 2025 to distribution of methamphetamine and aiding and abetting.

“People like Curtis, who traffic methamphetamine by the kilogram, are supplying the drug dealers,” U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson said. “Getting wholesale drug distributors off the street is a key step in making our communities safer, and the community won’t have to worry about Curtis for another 17 years.”

According to court records cited by federal prosecutors, Curtis sold nearly half a kilogram of methamphetamine to an undercover officer during a controlled purchase in December 2023. During a second controlled purchase in January 2024, Curtis sold approximately 1 kilogram to the officer.

In August 2024, Burke County sheriff’s deputies stopped Curtis’ vehicle. A subsequent search uncovered approximately 1.2 kilograms of methamphetamine inside, prosecutors said.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Burke County Sheriff’s Office led the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney William Wiseman prosecuted the case.

Federal prosecutors said the case was part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide Justice Department initiative targeting illegal immigration, cartels, transnational criminal organizations and violent crime.