NORTH CAROLINA — Two individuals involved in a drug trafficking conspiracy that distributed fentanyl and methamphetamine in Catawba County and surrounding areas have been sentenced to federal prison, according to a June 18, 2025, announcement by U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson of the Western District of North Carolina.
Ashton Durrell Farley, 32, of Hickory, N.C., was sentenced to 235 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release.
Thomas Eugene Ikard, 46, of Lenoir, N.C., received a sentence of 60 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release. Both men pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine.
U.S. Attorney Ferguson is joined in making the announcement by Alicia Jones, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, Sheriff Donald G. Brown II of the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office, and Chief Reed Baer of the Hickory Police Department.
Two other co-conspirators were previously sentenced. Dustin Eric Wilson, 35, of Charlotte, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and five years of supervised release.
Harold Marquis Wilfong, 37, of Hickory, received 84 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
According to court documents and proceedings, the charges followed a 10-month investigation led by the ATF and Hickory Police Department.
The investigation uncovered a drug trafficking operation that used multiple stash houses—including one located just two blocks from the federal courthouse in Charlotte—to store and distribute narcotics and firearms.
Authorities conducted controlled drug purchases, surveillance, and executed search warrants as part of the probe.
Law enforcement seized several kilograms of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and marijuana, along with multiple firearms, including an AR-15 rifle and a privately made firearm or “ghost gun.”
In making the announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson commended the ATF, HPD, and Catawba County Sheriff’s Office and thanked the U.S. Marshals Service for their assistance.
The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative aimed at eliminating cartels, transnational criminal organizations, and violent crime through coordinated efforts involving the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
