N.C. Man Sentenced to Over 13 Years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Rico Green, 48, of Waxhaw, N.C. was sentenced to more than 13 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to a drug trafficking offense.

Evidence presented to the court showed that on Jan. 5, 2022, Green sold fentanyl to members of the Lancaster County Drug Task Force during an undercover operation. The undercover buy was part of a larger investigation which revealed Green's drug trafficking activity in Lancaster County, S.C. and Union County, N.C. In March 2022, Green was found with a large quantity of fentanyl after he attempted to run from Lancaster County deputies during a traffic stop. The court also heard evidence that months after his March 2022 arrest and subsequent bond, Green attempted to sell a firearm to another undercover officer during a drug deal in Waxhaw, N.C.

Green pleaded guilty to drug trafficking on March 27, 2024. Green has two prior convictions for distribution of cocaine, two prior convictions for distribution of crack cocaine, and two prior convictions for trafficking cocaine.

United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Green to 160 months imprisonment, to be followed by a six-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office, the Lancaster Police Department, and the Union County, N.C. Sheriff's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lamar J. Fyall is prosecuting the case.

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