Kelly Woodrow Ross, a 64-year-old resident of Waynesville, North Carolina, was sentenced to 46 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. The sentence was handed down for trafficking methamphetamine, as announced by U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson from the Western District of North Carolina.
Court documents and proceedings revealed that in November 2023, the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office became aware that Ross was involved in methamphetamine distribution. At that time, Ross was on federal supervised release due to a prior federal drug conviction. Investigators used confidential human sources to make purchases of more than 5.5 grams of methamphetamine from Ross during the investigation. On November 28, 2023, a search warrant was executed at Ross’s residence, where methamphetamine, digital scales, and drug paraphernalia were seized.
Ross pleaded guilty on September 20, 2024, to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He is currently in federal custody and will be transferred to a federal facility once assigned by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
U.S. Attorney Ferguson expressed gratitude to the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office for their diligent work on the case. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Hess from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville.