SC prosecutor: Feds charge 17 from Lancaster, Rock Hill in fentanyl, meth, gun ring
A South Carolina federal grand jury has indicted 17 people on drug and weapons charges in connection with a drug trafficking organization in Lancaster that sold fentanyl, meth and heroin, prosecutors said.
The drug trafficking ring was based in Lancaster and had tentacles through the Upstate and Midlands, said Peter McCoy, U.S. Attorney for South Carolina.
The investigation went on for more than two years and involved Lancaster Sheriff’s Office deputies, Lancaster Police Department, Homeland Security, ATF, FBI, and the State Law Enforcement Division. Police seized drugs, 16 guns, and ammunition, McCoy said.
Police and federal agents arrested several of the defendants Friday morning, McCoy said.
Five of the suspects already were in custody when the indictments were issued Friday, McCoy said.
Five remain uncaught, said Derek Shoemake, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
According to McCoy, Shoemake, and federal court documents, the people indicted by federal prosecutors in the drug-related case and who are in custody include: Clarence Grover Kirk III, 38, of Rock Hill; William Earl Belk, 29, of Lancaster; Celeste Allen Pardue, 47, of Lancaster; Rachell Nichole House, 32, of Lancaster; Berry Allen McIlwain Jr., 30, of Lancaster; Richard Hopkins, 30, of Lancaster; Christopher Lynn Love, 44, of Lancaster; Scott Charles Catledge Jr., 27, of Lancaster; Dustin Robert Barton, 33, of Lancaster; Ezekiel T. Williams, 23, of Lancaster; and Larry Christopher Craig, 50, of Lancaster.
Dennis Lee Williams, 29, of Lancaster, was charged with violating federal firearms laws, prosecutors said.
The drug conspiracy went on from early 2017 until Friday’s arrests, McCoy said.
“Operations like these leave our communities safer and more stable than they were before; the people of South Carolina deserve nothing less,” McCoy said in a statement. “We will continue to work tirelessly with our federal, state, and local partners to dismantle large-scale, organized drug-dealing organizations, which cause untold levels of harm to end users, their families, and their communities.”
Check back for updates on this developing story.
This story was originally published December 4, 2020 at 2:39 PM.
