On April 30, 2018, members of the Unified Narcotics Investigative Team observed a Century Appliance work truck speeding, driving left of the center line, and driving with a broken tail light as it left the Allens Creek area and travelled to Riverbend Street in Waynesville. Detectives approached the vehicle as it came to a stop back at the business. 

Matthew Ray was behind the wheel. Officers immediately noticed a .38 caliber handgun in plain view and were granted consent to search the vehicle where they recovered a modified plastic straw with a powder residue, a small cooler containing a brown bag containing a plastic bag which in turn contained 90 hydrocodone pills. Hydrocodone is an opiate derivative and a Schedule II controlled substance under the North Carolina Controlled Substances Act. 

“Opiate abuse is rampant in our communities throughout Western North Carolina,” said District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch. “My office aggressively prosecutes defendants who possess and peddle these drugs in our mountains. These cases can be difficult to detect due to the clandestine nature of the drug trade, and I commend the officers for their vigilance and hard work.” 

Assistant District Attorney Kaleb Wingate tried the case for the State. 

“I’m so proud of Kaleb,” Welch continued. “He’s out there doing his best for Haywood County and I want the community to know it.” 

Ray received two consecutive sentences in the total amount of 450 to 564 months in prison and a $1 million fine, as dictated by law. 

“The penalty is stiff, and I’m sending the message to other dealers. If we catch you, you are going to prison,” said Welch. “If we can save one addict from an overdose, then we’ve done our jobs. Making a profit on people who struggle with addiction is perverse and our officers and prosecutors are making cases and getting convictions to the best of our abilities.”