Ronald Lee Peak, a 45-year-old resident of Hendersonville, North Carolina, has been sentenced to 188 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release for distributing methamphetamine. The announcement was made by Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Jae W. Chung, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Alicia Jones, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, joined Ferguson in making the announcement.
Court records reveal that law enforcement officials discovered Peak's involvement in distributing firearms and methamphetamine around Asheville and Hendersonville. Investigators utilized a confidential informant to purchase firearms and methamphetamine from Peak on at least two occasions between July and August 2022. During these transactions, Peak sold a 9mm pistol with an obliterated serial number and 36.82 grams of methamphetamine in separate instances. On another occasion, he sold 27.175 grams of methamphetamine along with a .32 caliber pistol.
Peak entered a guilty plea on August 16, 2024, to charges related to the distribution of methamphetamine. Due to his prior state convictions, he qualified as a career offender which resulted in an enhanced sentence. Following his state prison term completion, Peak will be transferred to federal custody.
U.S. Attorney Ferguson expressed gratitude towards several agencies for their investigative efforts: "In making today’s announcement," he said, "I thank the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Asheville Police Department."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher S. Hess managed the prosecution from Asheville.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration while targeting cartels and transnational criminal organizations through resources from various task forces including Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
