By NC WANTED Staff

Posted: Dec 16, 2008
Updated: Jul. 20, 2009

NASH and BLADEN COUNTIES — A Nash County fugitive featured on NC WANTED was captured in the Phillipines July 4, according to a U.S. Marshals news release. It wasn't Independence Day for James Ricky Perry, 50, who was wanted on cocaine trafficking and distribution charges.

Perry had been on the run for nearly four years and was prominently featured on NC WANTED's Target Twenty fugitve list. A U.S. Marshals investigation determined that Perry had fled to the Phillipines and was living under a new identity. He was taken into custody without incident and is awaiting deportation proceedings.

From Previous Reports:

Beginning in 2003, Nash County Sheriff’s Office, Bladen County Sheriff’s Office and the State Bureau of Investigation launched an on-going drug sting called “Operation Breakthrough.” Their goal was to eliminate large scale narcotic sales in eastern North Carolina, get dealers off the streets and put them behind bars.

Using covert surveillance tactics, law enforcement discovered that 50-year-old, James Ricky Perry, had been connected to several key players who they were aiming to take down. He too was identified as one of the main targets.

In November 2004, investigators organized a buy-bust operation directed toward Perry. A cooperating witness contacted Perry to deliver cocaine to a residence in Spring Hope, North Carolina. When Perry showed up, law enforcement seized half a kilo that was located in the passenger seat of his truck.

Perry was charged with conspiracy to distribute and posses with the attempt to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and possession with the intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine.

He failed to appear for his court date and has been on the run ever since.

Perry was last seen in North Carolina by a Wilson Police officer. The officer unknowingly pulled over the driver and passenger of a car with expired registration tags. The officer issued a citation, then let the two go. The driver was later identified as Perry’s daughter, Ginger Perry Weston. The passenger turned out to be James Ricky Perry.

Perry has been connected to the state’s drug trade since the 1980’s. In 1985, he served two years for possession of schedule II drugs. In May of 1995, Drug Enforcement Agency officers arrested Perry on federal drug charges. He was found guilty and served five years in federal prison. Soon after he was released, he once again started dealing drugs in Nash County and surrounding counties.

At one time, Perry owned an automobile salvage yard in Middlesex, NC, which is now run by his brother, Robert Perry. Perry also owned a used car dealership located off Hwy 58 in Wilson, NC, which is now managed by his daughter, Ginger Weston Perry.

Authorities say Perry has obtained a Virginia driver’s license and a North Carolina identification card under the name “Roger Dale Bray.” They also believe his family is helping him stay under the radar.

Wanted for:
Conspiracy to distribute and posses with the attempt to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine

Possession with the intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine

Profile:
Sex: Male
Race: White
Age: 50
Height: 6’0
Weight: 180 lbs.
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Green

Alias: Roger Dale Bray

Tattoos: Perry has the word “Jesus” tattooed on his left shoulder. It used to be a picture of two cherries.

Last Known Address: 1940 NC Hwy 231, Middlesex, NC

Possible Locations: Wilson, NC; Middlesex, NC; Virginia Beach, VA

If you have any information on the whereabouts of James Ricky Perry, call NC WANTED toll free at 1.866.43.WANTED (1.866.439.2683) or click on "Report a Tip" Your identity can be kept confidential.