A previously convicted federal drug trafficker was sentenced on Apr. 16 to 18 years in prison for distributing kilogram quantities of methamphetamine in Burke and Caldwell Counties, according to Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Jeremy Donovan Dula, age 38, from Hampton, Georgia and formerly of Caldwell County, will also serve five years of supervised release.
The sentencing follows Dula’s guilty plea on October 22, 2025, to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The case highlights ongoing efforts by law enforcement and prosecutors to address substance abuse and keep dangerous drugs out of local communities.
“Dula introduced an incredible amount of drugs into our community. Drug traffickers who bring dangerous drugs into the Western District should know this: you will be identified and prosecuted. We will not allow our communities to be turned into drug markets for poison peddlers,” said U.S. Attorney Ferguson.
According to court documents, investigators began looking into Dula’s activities in October 2023 after receiving information about his involvement in large-scale methamphetamine trafficking using an apartment in Lenoir as a stash house. Investigators reported that Dula sold methamphetamine several times to individuals cooperating with law enforcement during the investigation.
On November 6, 2023, an undercover agent working as a courier transported four kilograms of methamphetamine from Georgia to Burke County at Dula’s direction while he followed closely behind in another vehicle. After arriving in Burke County, investigators stopped Dula and recovered a box containing nearly four kilograms of pure methamphetamine along with fentanyl from the undercover agent’s car trunk. A search warrant executed at his Lenoir apartment resulted in the seizure of additional amounts of pure methamphetamine and cash.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina advances public safety through initiatives addressing elder abuse and substance abuse according to the official website. The office maintains facilities in Charlotte and Asheville according to its official website, operates under the U.S. Department of Justice according to its official website, employs nearly 100 federal prosecutors and support staff according to its official website, handles prosecutions of federal crimes as well as civil actions for the government according to its official website, covers a region including half of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Eastern Band Cherokee Indians community according to its official website, and delivers victim assistance while collaborating with law enforcement on public safety initiatives across its jurisdiction according to its official website.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Hess led prosecution efforts in Asheville.
