36 charged in Mexico-based SC drug ring; 15.4 kg of marijuana seized
Thirty-six people, nine of them in the country illegally, have been charged in a federal investigation into a Mexico-based drug trafficking and money laundering organization operating in South Carolina, the Justice Department said. During the investigation the DEA seized 34 pounds (15.4 kg) of marijuana, along with large quantities of fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine.
🇺🇸 South Carolina (Lowcountry, Pee Dee, Grand Strand and Midlands) · South Carolina, United States
Thirty-six people have been charged in a multi-state federal investigation into
drug trafficking and money laundering, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.[1]Nine of them are in the country illegally, prosecutors said.[2]The
organization is based in Mexico and has operated in South Carolina since at
least 2011.[1]An April 2026 indictment charged 18 people.[1]A 42-count
superseding indictment unsealed in November charged 16 more.[1]Two others
were previously charged in July 2025.[3]Six defendants have pleaded guilty so
far.[1]
During the investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administrationseized34 pounds
(about 15.4 kilograms) of marijuana.[3]It also seized large quantities of
fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine.[1]The department said the organization
had supplied South Carolina with hundreds of kilograms of fentanyl and cocaine
since at least 2021.[1]Investigators traced a distribution network spanning
the Lowcountry, Pee Dee, Grand Strand and Midlands.[1]Its members were active
in Mexico, other states, and inside the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the South
Carolina Department of Corrections, the department said.[1]
U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling said the Homeland Security Task Force investigation
had an impact on ‘every region of our state, and beyond’.[1]The DEA, Homeland
Security Investigations, the FBI’s Columbia field office and the South Carolina
Law Enforcement Division investigated the case with numerous state and local
agencies.[1]Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mike O’Mara and Cole Shannon are
prosecuting it.[1]The Justice Department said an indictment is merely an
allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent.[1]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
WSPA 7NEWSwspa.com36 charged across SC counties in drug operation with ties to Mexican cartel
Open questions the AI reported
The sources do not say whether any of the 36 defendants faces a marijuana-specific charge, or how the 34 pounds of marijuana were connected to the organization.
No arrest or custody count was reported for the 36 defendants.
The superseding indictment was unsealed in November, but the sources give no exact date for the unsealing.
No sentencings have been reported for the six defendants who have pleaded guilty.
The sources do not say where the 34 pounds of marijuana were seized or whether they were intended for distribution.
The organization is described as Mexico-based, but no cartel is named in the accounts.
The sources do not list the specific counts or statutes in the 42-count indictment.
No trial date or further court schedule was reported.
Alabama basketball guard Aden Holloway, arrested in March 2026 for possession of marijuana and failure to affix a tax stamp, had his first-degree marijuana charge dismissed in September after completing a court second-chance program. Alabama reinstated him on 6 October and, after a team-imposed five-game suspension, he returned to the court on 9 November.
A federal grand jury indicted six men over a marijuana distribution conspiracy across South Carolina's Lowcountry, with two accused of conspiring to distribute 1,000 kilograms or more. Four of the defendants face a maximum sentence of life in prison; no trial date or custodial status was reported.
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