5th man guilty in fentanyl bust near Lake Wylie after claiming he was ‘social guest’
The final defendant of the five men charged in the largest fentanyl bust in York County history has pleaded guilty, federal court records show.
Quonzy Lanard Hope, 35, of Rock Hill, pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court in Columbia in front of Judge Sherri Lydon to conspiracy to distribute narcotics, according to a plea agreement obtained by The Herald in the case. The conviction carries a sentence of 10 years to life in prison.
His charges are connected to the seizure of more than 60 pounds of fentanyl and other drugs from a mobile home along Lake Wylie between Rock Hill and Charlotte in October 2022, federal court documents show.
Hope’s lawyer previously asked Lydon to throw out the drug seizure when Hope claimed he was a”social guest” at the trailer.
But Lydon ruled against another defendant in the case who had made a similar claim the mobile home was a party “man cave.” Lydon said evidence showed the trailer was used to make drugs.
Two other charges against Hope were dismissed as part of the plea deal, records show.
5 now guilty in fentanyl bust
Hope is the fifth man connected to the drug seizure to plead guilty to the drug conspiracy.
In 2023, Thomas Anthony Perry, 36, and Javaris Latrey Johnson, 31, both of York County, pleaded guilty in federal court. Timario Martez Gayton, 32, of Rock Hill, pleaded guilty earlier this year in January.
In a statement to The Herald, federal prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office confirmed all four in that particular case are now convicted. They face a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Timothy Markee Gayton, who’s Timario Gayton’s twin brother, pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy in a related separate case in March, according to prosecutors and court records.
None of the men have been sentenced, and Judge Lydon hasn’t set a date.
Sentencing often takes about three months — after federal probation officials produce a pre-sentence report that includes details about the defendants.
Enough fentanyl to kill the entire state
In October 2022, police seized pill fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin, plus pill presses, guns, and money from the Lake Wylie-area mobile home.
Tony Breeden, who won the Republican primary for York County Sheriff in June and is running unopposed in November, said Monday the Lake Wylie case is an example of the crucial drug eradication work being done by the York County Multijurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit.
With no other candidates for sheriff, Breeden is expected to take office in January.
“The DEU is doing great work on all levels of fighting drugs in our community, and it emphasizes the importance of relationships with local, state and federal partners,” Breeden told The Herald Monday.
At a news conference after the arrests, officials said the amount of fentanyl seized in the joint effort by federal, state and local law enforcement is enough to kill the entire South Carolina population of over 5 million people.
At that news conference, S.C. Sen. Lindsey Graham, U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, and police and prosecutors from across York County spoke about the fentanyl crisis that has resulted in overdose deaths.
Fentanyl is around 50 times more potent than heroin and has been a part of overdose deaths locally and across the country, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and local officials. Law enforcement says fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, is cheap, easy to get, highly addictive, and lethal.
This story was originally published July 15, 2024 at 1:31 PM.
