News

Mill Spring man gets prison time for trafficking, weapons charges

By Lightning Reports, Published: June 9, 2026

A 49-year-old Mill Spring man was sentenced to up to seven years, nine months in prison on Monday after he pleaded guilty to numerous drug trafficking and weapons charges, District Attorney R. Andrew Murray announced.

Jason Edwin Jackson pleaded guilty to trafficking methamphetamine, possession with intent to sell and deliver methamphetamine, possession of a weapon of mass destruction, possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Superior Court Judge Athena F. Brooks, who presided over a session of Polk County Criminal Superior Court, sentenced Jackson to a mandatory minimum sentence of 70 months and a maximum sentence of 93 months and ordered him to pay a $50,000 fine.

Investigation reports and testimony during a sentencing hearing showed that on Feb. 20, 2025, detectives with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at Jackson’s residence in Mill Spring. The search warrant was granted by a superior court judge after months of extensive surveillance and investigation, during which narcotics detectives received information from multiple sources that Jackson was dealing methamphetamine and firearms out of his residence. Using informants, detectives conducted several controlled buys of methamphetamine and firearms from Jackson, corroborating reports of his illegal activity, the district attorney said in a news release.

During the execution of the search warrant, law enforcement officers located trafficking amounts of methamphetamine (approximately 50 grams divided into two bags) and several firearms hidden throughout the residence. The firearms recovered included a Smith & Wesson 5.7, a Ruger 9MM, a Glock 48, a Ray State Single Barrel Shotgun and a Palmetto State Armory PA-15 which, based on its short barrel length, is a weapon of mass destruction and therefore illegal to possess in North Carolina. Jackson was further prohibited from possessing firearms due to his status as a convicted felon. Officers found multiple firearm magazines, rounds of ammunition and various drug paraphernalia throughout the residence as well.

After the contraband was seized, Jackson agreed to be interviewed by detectives with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and special agents with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. In these interviews, Jackson admitted to buying and selling methamphetamine and to trading firearms, the D.A. said.

Assistant District Attorney Jessica Stone-Erdman handled the prosecution and sentencing of the crimes. Murray thanked the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and ATF Asheville Satellite Office for their exemplary professional and thorough investigation of the case.