Tahlequah Resident Sentenced For Federal Drug And Firearm Crimes

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announces that Ricky Dale Degase, age 30, of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 120 months imprisonment for one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and 120 months imprisonment for one count of Felon in Possession of Firearm and Ammunition. The sentences will run concurrently.

The charges arose from an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, and the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office.

On February 7, 2024, Degase pleaded guilty to the federal drug and firearm charges. According to investigators, on March 7, 2023, an OHP trooper conducting a traffic stop arrested Degase on an outstanding warrant. During the arrest, Degase was discovered in possession of a loaded 9mm pistol, found under Degase's seat, along with 22.36 grams of methamphetamine, which Degase intended for distribution. Degase knowingly possessed the firearm and ammunition after having been previously convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year imprisonment.

The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the sentencing hearing. Degase will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshal pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.

Assistant United States Attorney T. Cameron McEwen represented the United States.