Tyrone Eugene Sitton, also known as "Dirty," has been sentenced to over 12 years in prison for fentanyl trafficking and gun charges. The announcement was made by Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
The case involved several law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, and the Asheville Police Department. Bennie Mims from the ATF's Charlotte Field Division and Jae W. Chung from the DEA's Atlanta Field Division were among those who joined Ferguson in making the announcement.
Court documents reveal that between November and December 2022, Sitton distributed 30.1 grams of fentanyl in Asheville. He sold fentanyl multiple times to a confidential informant working with the ATF. On December 28, 2022, he also sold three firearms—a shotgun, a rifle, and a pistol—to this informant.
Sitton pleaded guilty on July 29, 2024, to three counts of distribution of fentanyl and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon. His previous state convictions for drug distribution in North Carolina led to an increased sentence as a career offender.
U.S. Attorney Ferguson praised the collaborative efforts of all involved agencies in investigating this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex M. Scott prosecuted it on behalf of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville.