Share and Follow
BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) — A man with a record of drug and weapons offenses, wanted in Buncombe County, North Carolina, has been apprehended in Blountville. This was confirmed by the United States Marshals Service (USMS).
On Friday, the USMS revealed in a press release that Reco Lamar Mosley was captured by the USMS Smoky Mountains Fugitive Task Force. During the arrest, authorities discovered 12 firearms, a pill press, and substantial quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine.
According to the Marshals Service, Mosley was found in possession of a stolen gun.
Described as a previously convicted felon, Mosley has an extensive history of drug and firearms offenses, along with a pattern of evading law enforcement, according to the release.
The USMS further noted that Mosley had been detained in the past after a pursuit by the Tennessee Highway Patrol that crossed into North Carolina. During that incident, he abandoned his vehicle and fled on foot while carrying a firearm.
He was convicted in 2016 for his role in a “large-scale crack cocaine distribution conspiracy in North Carolina,” the USMS reports. After he was released from federal prison in 2021, he fled from North Carolina authorities before ultimately being stopped by spike strips and being found with narcotics, sending him back to federal prison.
“Following his release in July 2024, Mosley resumed trafficking in illegal drugs,” the release states. “Based out of the Buncombe, NC area, he is known to be a major supplier of illegal drugs to the Asheville area and into northeast Tennessee.”
Two other people were arrested along with Mosley in Blountville. The USMS reports Jla Olinga, who was wanted out of Southwest Virginia on drug possession and violation of probation charges, was found at the scene of the arrest. Joshua Baskett was also arrested for possession of fentanyl and felon in possession of firearms.
The USMS stated all three were booked into the Sullivan County Jail and are being held there as of Friday.