Prior Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 22 1⁄2 Years in Prison for Selling Methamphetamine and Guns

ASHEVILLE, N.C. - A prior South Carolina drug trafficker was sentenced to 22 ½ prison today for trafficking methamphetamine and firearms throughout Cleveland and Rutherford Counties, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

Ronald Keith Goode, 53, of Mooresboro, North Carolina, was sentenced today to 270 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for selling methamphetamine and firearms. In October 2025, Goode pleaded guilty to distribution of methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking and possession of a firearm by a felon.

According to court documents, in February 2025, law enforcement in Rutherford and Cleveland Counties identified Goode as a methamphetamine and gun trafficker. During the investigation, law enforcement determined that Goode would transport large quantities of methamphetamine from the Atlanta area into Rutherford and Cleveland Counties. Between March and May 2025, an undercover agent met with Goode at Goode's residence in Mooresboro multiple times, and purchased a total of approximately 998.01 grams of pure methamphetamine and 12 firearms. During one of the drug buys, the undercover agent observed four separate pound-sized bags containing methamphetamine (approximately two kilograms). Goode also talked about receiving as much as 10 kilograms of methamphetamine from his source of supply.

Court records also show that, when Goode was arrested on July 2, 2025, law enforcement searched his property in Mooresboro and seized from a shed located on the property a loaded Glock 27, .40 caliber pistol with 26 rounds of ammunition, a loaded Marlin, model 60W, .22 LR rifle with five rounds of ammunition, an unloaded Masterpiece Arms Defender 9mm pistol, two magazines, 93 rounds of ammunition, a ballistic vest, a digital scale, and small amount of white powder. Law enforcement also seized from Goode's residence two loaded pistol magazines with three rounds of ammunition and a large digital scale.

"Nearly a kilogram of methamphetamine and a dozen firearms were just the beginning of what investigators uncovered in this case," said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. "Goode was a repeat trafficker who continued to bring dangerous drugs and guns into our communities. Today's sentence makes clear that chronic offenders will face serious consequences in the federal system."

"Drug dealing and firearms trafficking is a deadly combination that puts communities at risk," said ATF Special Agent in Charge Alicia Jones. "ATF and our law enforcement partners make shutting these illegal networks down and holding traffickers accountable a top priority."

Goode has prior convictions for trafficking methamphetamine in South Carolina, and he is prohibited from possessing firearms.

This investigation was led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives along with the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office, and the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office.

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

This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.