TikTok video from True Crime Stories (@truecrimestories215): "The 1981 South Carolina Drug Smuggling Bust In The Edisto River #truecrime #truecrimecommunity #truestory #truecrimetiktok #makingamurderer #AlexMurdaugh #trending #fyp". One of the hottest rumors in Hampton county, South Carolina at the moment is that a massive drug bust orchestrated last month by sheriff Thomas "T.C." Smalls is somehow tied to a brutal double homicide that took place in early June at a hunting compound owned by one of the Palmetto State's most prominent families. After a drug bust in South Carolina,. He has friends that have died. The attorney general's office said the restaurant served as a regional hub through which drugs were trafficked to other states, with some drugs allegedly trafficked out of taco trucks owned by the restaurant owners. Typical agency turf wars were not allowed; anyone who refused to play nice was excused from the team. All Rights Reserved. The story is utterly fantastic, with a list of villains so long one has trouble keeping up with them all. On Wednesday, a Durham man was arrested after a chase hitting 120 mph and the "Gray Death" drug was found, deputies say. Our hearts go out to Sergeant Kevin Forsbergs family, friends and colleagues at Broward Sheriffs Office where he served in the BSOs Homicide Unit, the FPBA said. State Attorney General Alan Wilson announced grand jury indictments Wednesday against the owners of the Los Primos restaurant in Greenville, S.C. COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCSC) - South Carolina's attorney general said an investigation into a drug ring operating in South Carolina and Georgia resulted in 124 criminal charges against 34 people. Les bought a home on Hilton Head, as well as other property, and used it for offloading his merchandise. They felt guns were unnecessary and, in fact, invited violence. NYC Asking People to Give Bikes to Illegal Aliens! The case is referred to as "Prison Empire," one of the state's largest narcotics conspiracy investigations ever indicted. One of the defendants, a paralegal, is accused of sending drugs and phones into prison through hollowed out court transcripts, ABC News 4 reports. Dubbed "Operation Pentagon," the investigation targeted the distribution of heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine and crack cocaine that has "plagued" the county, Smalls said. It was unprecedented for the agencies to share information, much less work together and out of the same office. Consider it one of the more comic scenes in an $850 million drug-smuggling saga that rocked the South Carolina Lowcountry in the early 1980s. , Four more suspects in operation pentagon https://www.augustachronicle.com/story/news/local/hampton-county-guardian/2021/07/27/two-more-suspects-custody-operation-pentagon-arrest-tally-now-20/5385106001/. This would totally explain why LE is keeping such a tight, tight lid on everything. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Barry Foy followed his prison time with a career in real estate and construction. Even though task force members cooperated with one another, their superiors sometimes tried to throw up turf-related roadblocks. Patty Roberts is not mincing her words when speaking on fentanyl. They dont want you to see this Big Tech does its best to limit what news you see. An eight-month investigation at a South Carolina prison has resulted in the confiscation of more than 100 pounds of contraband and 20 arrests, the state's department of corrections announced . Bob Byers was caught in Antigua by DEA agent Dewey Greager and David Forbes, who posed as buyers of his $900,000 sailboat, La Cautiva. Officials refused to identify the fifth Colombian arrested. So they are applauding the work, knowing much more work needs done. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? Overdue book returned to Massachusetts library after 56 years. South Carolina partnered with Georgia and federal authorities to make the drug bust. You didnt have any I love yous or goodbye or nothing. Because of lax drug coastal patrols, hometown familiarity and a plethora of inlets, South Carolina was the gentlemen smugglers' most frequent destination for offloading drugs. Bob Duncan said, 'It will be studied in law enforcement academies for many semesters on how this went so smoothly. We have an open microphone policy here at FITSNews! "A well-known, very violent cartel thats operated for many years in Mexico.. And what about all the rumors you preach as gospel. ago The investigation, asset seizures, defendant arrests, and trials were full of extraordinary tales and consumed the lives of task force members for four years. The payday for smugglers was double that of marijuana. Last week, deputies seized more than 30,000 grams of the drug fentanyl from a home on Golden Pond Drive in Clover. Charges range from drug trafficking and weapons to burglary and kidnapping. National. The escapades are daring and dangerous, with heart pounding chases, life-threatening clashes with nature, and audacious smugglers halting a raging civil war on more than one occasion. With each trip, Barry and Les learned more about the smuggling business. Drugs, money, torture and murder were all part of a detailed web of gang-related, organized crime that flourished in South Carolina from at least 2017 until now, according to a federal. Pastor shoved out door, knocked flat on his back after protesting library's drag queen event for children. Soldiers would sometimes even help load drugs onto the boats and then, once they were clear of land, fighting resumed. York County and South Carolina leaders say current state and federal laws are not strict enough to keep fentanyl off South Carolina streets so there need to be sweeping changes. Georgia. SLED agent Robert Stewart and Bart Daniel also traveled to Australia while the case was being appealed. That was a good feeling seeing all those pills were off the street. Reflecting back, Governor McMaster says, It was virtually impossible to catch them in the act. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? Folks, if this was a bag full of terrorists, if this was anthrax, our response would be overwhelming. Operation Jackpot was a federal drug task force based in South Carolina that captured and convicted more than 100 marijuana smugglers from 1983 to 1986 during President Ronald Reagan's War on Drugs. The McCoys were served with notice of the states intention to seek life without the possibility of parole at their bond hearings last week. South Carolina drug bust catches Charleston college drug ring pushing cocaine, Ecstasy and Xanax By Tobias Salinger NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Jun 24, 2016 at 8:06 pm Nine young people arrested as. The Hilton Head Island residents were identified as David A. Childs Jr., 38, and Lynn G. Paul, 40. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); South Carolina's 'Trial of the Century' is over but the 'Murdaugh King Of Five Points Arrested As Part Of Massive Drug Bust In Columbia, South Carolina, Murdaugh Murders: South Carolina Attorney General Must Step In And Remove Rogue Solicitor, Governors Mansion Valet Killed In Car Crash, SCDOT: Internal Audits Show Rash Of Scandals, Alex Murdaugh Sentenced To Life Behind Bars, LIVE FEED Murdaugh Murders Trial: Alex Murdaugh Sentencing Hearing, Murdaugh Murders Trial: Alex Murdaugh Guilty On All Counts. Purchase a new subscription and qualify for $100 of fine dining, theater tickets and MORE! An abandoned van full of sacks of Lebanese hashish was found following a raid on Edisto Island in November 1981. The five Colombians in custody are Jorge Samuel Cruz, Luis F. Taboada-Garcia, Felipe Janer and Juan Carlos Perez. That is certainly what it would seem like. South Carolina prosecutors have announced its biggest drug bust in state history, with 100 defendants facing nearly 500 charges. Here is the full video of the press conference . I highly suggest you watch Mandy Matneys Murdaugh Murders Podcast - especially those about Alexs possible connection to drugs smuggling along the east coast. Has anyone heard anything? The owner of multiple businesses in the Five Points shopping and entertainment district in downtown Columbia, South Carolina - and the former vice president of its influential neighborhood. A trusted neighbor is on top of a 20-foot ladder in . The Florida Police Benevolent Association (FPBA) also released a statement in the wake of the longtime sergeants death. Paul and drugs are rumors . Got something youd like to say in response to one of our articles? The thought immediately went through my mind that I wonder if they were responsible for his death, said Roberts. Last week, deputies seized more than 30,000 grams of the drug fentanyl from a home on Golden Pond Drive in Clover. Wilder still, the two main characters hail from Columbia, South Carolina. By FOX Carolina News Staff. Eight people suspected of importing the drug from Colombia and distributing it throughout the East Coast were arrested as they arrived at a Sea Pines Plantation Home to pick up the cocaine. The Coast Guard monitored the vessel's trip from Colombia to the dock at the rented home in the exclusive Sea Pines Plantation development, but authorities waited for six days until the distributors, known as 'Mr. What is the talk on the street? Does anybody else think its just an amazing coincidence that LE rounded up all these local Hampton/ Colleton county drug knuckleheads about a month after the Murdaugh murders? 63 people face drug charges after South Carolina investigation Posted: Mar 31, 2021 / 03:00 PM EDT Updated: Mar 31, 2021 / 03:08 PM EDT SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WSPA) - Sixty-three people are facing. Her son, Adam, fell victim to the drug. Under South Carolina law, trafficking in cocaine is a felony punishable by a prison term of between 25 and 30 years, no part of which may be suspended nor probation granted and a fine of up to $200,000. According to investigators, the large drug operation trafficked in more than 1,000 kilograms of methamphetamine, or more than 2,200 pounds. The Canal Street home was raided last Thursday by CPD narcotics agents prior to the Sears arrests. RALEIGH, N.C. Federal authorities have arrested 21 people at the University of North Carolina, Duke University and Appalachian State University in connection with a "large drug network" bust . But, by pooling their collective expertise, they were an extraordinarily effective weapon against drug smuggling. Agents also seized about $1 million in property, including the rented home, the yacht and five vehicles. This is absolutely the pill of death, said Patty Roberts, a mother who lost her son to a fentanyl death. Forsbergs death in a Facebook post several days later. Barry was apprehended at the LaGuardia airport wearing a full-length mink coat. https://youtube.com/@MurdaughMurders?si=EnSIkaIECMiOmarE, https://www.augustachronicle.com/story/news/local/hampton-county-guardian/2021/07/27/two-more-suspects-custody-operation-pentagon-arrest-tally-now-20/5385106001/. Or an issue youd like to address proactively? I believe the drug smuggling is discussed in Podcast Episodes 31 and 32. Police in South Carolina seized more than 65 pounds of fentanyl Wednesday in a drug raid that officials describe as the largest-ever seizure of . Roberts says Adam thought he was taking Xanax for his anxiety but ended up with enough fentanyl in his system to kill four people. In the 1970s, kingpins and Columbia natives Les Riley and Barry Foy smuggled an astounding amount of marijuana and hashish into South Carolina, equating $1.8 billion in today's dollars. Got a tip for a story? It was a winning decision not just for the Operation Jackpot prosecutors but also for the global war on drugs because it would discourage future American drug kingpins from fleeing to those countries to avoid prosecution. Charlestons famous restaurant, 82 Queen, was seized as well. In January of this year, reporter Kailey Cota of The Daily Gamecock the student newspaper for The University of South Carolina reported that multiple students and other Five Points patrons reported being illegally drugged at Cotton Gin, Pavlovs Bar and Jakesduring the fall 2020 semester., At least three victims submitted incident reports in connection with these alleged druggings describing how they felt nauseous, dizzy and then vomited and blacked out., By the time we had driven from Cotton Gin [I was] completely limp, one victim recalled. 2023 Blaze Media LLC. "Theres much more volume flowing into our communities. On Monday (March 8) South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said that, so far, 100 people are facing 297 counts and 487 charges total, News 19 reports. I dont think so either but others have theorized about it so I thought Id post just to show there had been an investigation going on in Hampton county for a year. WTF? pic.twitter.com/d7G9ESlzUY, Florida Police Benevolent Association (@FL_PBA) January 30, 2023. The two men were nicknamed "the Gentlemen Smugglers" given their standards and college education. Also, 2 guys were arrested one month before the murders on drug charges: https://fox28media.com/news/local/deputies-2-arrested-meth-seized-in-hampton-county-south-carolina-drug-operation 13 51 51 comments New Add a Comment Tardis301 1 min. S.C. circuit court judge DeAndrea Benjamin denied bond for 23 of the 32 defendants. Man who sent videos of adults sexually abusing infants to FBI agent sentenced to 19 years, Questions mount about how John Fetterman was allegedly able to pen letter with fellow Democrats while under supervision for depression in hospital, Thug breaks through child's bedroom window in middle of night but Dad gets whole family out of home, grabs machete, and takes hack at crook, Newly released footage shows horrific moment a suspect fleeing police in stolen vehicle smashed into a sedan, bringing down a building. Operation Jackpot defendants were tried in three large batches and represented by well-known South Carolina defense attorneys such as Gedney Howe, Arthur Howe, Ed Bell, and Sol Blatt. Within a short time, the men identified Barry as someone who recently used cash for a large land purchase. News of these arrests was first sent to our tip line early Friday morning and FITSNews sent a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the city seeking information related to the arrests over the weekend.