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Fentanyl Kingpin Clark Gets 24+ Years
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Kyle Heath Clark, 38, of Candler, North Carolina, is headed to federal prison for over two decades after being sentenced to 295 months – more than 24 years – followed by five years of supervised release. The sentence, handed down today, stems from a brazen operation trafficking fentanyl and methamphetamine throughout Buncombe County and surrounding areas.
The investigation, spanning from June 2023 to February 2024, revealed Clark as a significant player in the region’s drug trade. Law enforcement didn’t just find product; they uncovered a veritable arsenal. Searches of Clark’s vehicles, a storage unit, a hotel room, and even his person, yielded a staggering 11 firearms, including a menacing AR-type rifle, along with a substantial amount of ammunition. But the guns weren’t the whole story.
Authorities seized over 64 grams of pure fentanyl – enough to kill thousands – and a whopping 1.9 kilograms of methamphetamine. Digital scales, typical drug paraphernalia, and a cash hoard exceeding $25,900 further painted the picture of a well-established, highly profitable criminal enterprise. The fact that Clark is a convicted felon already prohibited from owning firearms only deepened the severity of the charges.
On February 10, 2025, Clark threw in the towel, pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a felon. He’s currently cooling his heels in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service, awaiting transport to a federal Bureau of Prisons facility.
U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson, leading the Western District of North Carolina, praised the collaborative effort that brought Clark down. A long list of agencies contributed to the investigation: the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and a veritable army of county sheriffs’ offices from North and South Carolina – Buncombe, Henderson, Anderson, Spartanburg, Waynesville, Cherokee, Rutherford, Transylvania, Haywood, Swain, Jackson, and Clay, plus the Asheville Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher S. Hess spearheaded the prosecution. This case isn’t an isolated incident, but part of the larger “Operation Take Back America,” a nationwide push to dismantle cartels, transnational criminal organizations, and protect communities from violent crime. Operation Take Back America leverages resources from the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN), making it clear that federal authorities are serious about stemming the tide of illegal drugs and gun violence.
RELATED: LA Sentenced to 35 Years for Armed Fentanyl Trafficking
RELATED: Meth Kingpin and Two Lieutenants Busted in W. Va.
Key Facts
- State: North Carolina
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime|Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
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