12 sentenced to 154 years over Midlands drug ring, with 400 g of marijuana seized
Twelve people convicted in a Midlands drug-trafficking conspiracy were sentenced to a combined 154 years in federal prison, the last of them reported on 4 November 2026. Marijuana was a small part of the case: a 2024 search recovered 400 grams of it alongside methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl and MDMA.
🇺🇸 Columbia, Richland County, South Carolina · South Carolina, United States
Twelve people involved in a Midlands drug-trafficking conspiracy were sentenced
to a combined 154 years in federal prison.[1][2]U.S. District Judge Mary Geiger
Lewis sentenced the defendants to just over 154 years combined.[1]Pearish
Pretty received more than 20 years, William Jarvis received 20 years and
Demetrius Glenn received more than 18 years.[3]The listed terms ran down to
five years for Douglas Raley, with Miranda Garrett receiving nine years.[3]The 12 sentences totalled up to 154 years in federal prison with no eligibility
for parole.[3]
The Columbia Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration opened
the investigation in 2023.[3][2]Investigators intercepted thousands of
drug-related communications between September and November 2024.[3][2]The
conspiracy involved methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl and quantities of MDMA,
crack cocaine and marijuana.[1]In October 2024 investigators searched four
locations and seized400 grams of marijuana alongside methamphetamine, fentanyl
pills, cocaine, MDMA and five loaded guns.[1]The same searches turned up a
pill press used to make counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, methamphetamine
and MDMA.[1][2]
Pretty, Jarvis and Glenn were identified as leaders of the conspiracy who
redistributed narcotics throughout Richland and Lexington counties.[3]Several
homes and hotels were used to store and distribute the drugs, and some members
carried guns while dealing even though they were barred from having them.[1]The prosecution was brought as part of the Homeland Security Task Force
initiative targeting drug-trafficking organizations.[1]
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ariyana Gore prosecuted the case.[2]The Richland County, Lexington County and Clarendon County sheriff’s departments also investigated the case alongside the DEA and Columbia police.[2]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
WIS News 10wistv.comFinal defendant out of 12 sentenced for Midlands drug conspiracy
Open questions the AI reported
WIS names the final defendant only in its headline and names Billy Joe Davis in the sentence list, while its image caption names Christopher George; neither source confirms George is the twelfth defendant, so the two are not equated.
WIS says more than 60 grams of methamphetamine while WACH says more than 60 kilograms, so no methamphetamine figure is recorded.
The 400 grams of marijuana is a single seizure weight from the October 2024 searches; no total marijuana weight for the whole investigation was published.
The article gives no separate sentencing date; 4 November 2026 is the publication date of both sources and is used as the incident date.
The sources give no street value for the marijuana and do not say whether it was sold separately from the other drugs.
The 154-year total is an approximate sum of individual federal terms, not a single court-imposed aggregate sentence, so no prison figure is recorded.
WIS spells the second defendant William Jarvis while WACH spells him William Javis Jr., and WIS says Billy Joe Davis while WACH says Billy Davis; the report uses both spellings without choosing between them.
This source spells the second defendant William Larry Javis, Jr., supporting WACH's spelling against WIS's William Jarvis.
This source lists Billy Joe Davis of Gaston among the 12 sentenced defendants and does not mention Christopher George, but does not by itself resolve the open question about George in the WIS image caption.
This source attributes more than 60 kilograms of methamphetamine to the conspiracy, supporting WACH's kilograms figure against WIS's grams figure; no methamphetamine figure is added here.
A federal court sentenced Christopher L. Daniels, 47, of Tallahassee, Florida, to 25 years in prison after a jury convicted him of possessing controlled substances with intent to distribute and possessing a firearm as a felon. A January 2026 search of his home seized a pound (about 0.45 kg) of marijuana alongside methamphetamine, cocaine, crack cocaine, synthetic cathinones and four pistols.
Nigel White was sentenced in Brown County court to 18 years in prison plus 10 years of extended supervision for his role in the August 2024 marijuana deal on Berner Street where Brandon Ramirez was shot dead. White, one of five people charged, had pleaded no contest to felony murder; prosecutors said he drove a getaway vehicle.
Charged 5Sentenced 1Prison 18 years initial confinement and 10 years extended supervisionDeaths 1
A federal judge sentenced Christopher S. Robinson, 31, of Springfield to 15 years in prison for possessing methamphetamine and fentanyl for distribution, a case that began with a May 2024 raid in Jacksonville. Police reported finding 1.8 pounds of cannabis there and charged him with felony cannabis possession with intent to deliver.
Six traffickers were sentenced on 4 November 2026 in the Northern District of West Virginia to a combined 37 years in federal prison for fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine trafficking. Officers seized about 68.15 kilograms of marijuana in two of the cases, including 150 pounds at a Keyser duplex, alongside fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine.
