A South Carolina prison inmate stood at the center of a major trafficking network that peddled drugs and guns in the Midlands, authorities said Tuesday.
A two-year investigation by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies netted 17 suspects, about 77 pounds of methamphetamine, 116 firearms, and “various quantities of heroin and fentanyl,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina.
The defendants each face one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute methamphetamine, according to the criminal complaint, which detailed how members of the drug ring crossed into Georgia to purchase meth and illegally sold guns, including AR-15s, AK-47s, shotguns, pistols and other rifles.