Feds: Authorities seize 150+ pounds of fentanyl in SC, largest bust in state history

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - What started with a tip and a traffic stop in the Midlands resulted in what’s believed to be the largest fentanyl bust in South Carolina history, according to federal authorities.

Law enforcement reports they seized enough of the deadly drug to kill every person in South Carolina, plus the entire populations of North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee — combined.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina said Wednesday that 71 kilograms, or approximately 156 pounds, of fentanyl was discovered during “coordinated traffic stops” in the Midlands.

“This was enough to kill the state of South Carolina, every citizen here, seven times. That should scare everyone,” U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling said in an interview.

Assistant Special Agent in Charge Michael Tooley with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Columbia field office said they received a tip last month about a large shipment of fentanyl coming into the Midlands.

Law enforcement had staked out multiple truck stops in the Gaston area of Lexington County overnight on June 30 and into the early morning hours of July 1, when they spotted a box being transferred from a tractor-trailer to a passenger vehicle.

That raised their suspicions.

Prosecutors said agents with the DEA, deputies with the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, and officers from the South Carolina State Transport Police stopped both vehicles, and during searches, they found the fentanyl, along with nearly 50 pounds of methamphetamine.

The narcotics had an estimated street value of $1.7 million, officials said.

“I’ve never seen coordination like this. The relationships that are built in this state lead to seizures like this, lead to arrests, and protect our citizens,” Stirling said.

Investigators believe the narcotics were sourced in Mexico, entered California through the southern border, and were transported to South Carolina, which was the final destination for some of the drugs. The rest were supposed to go to other states along the east coast and even in the Midwest.

Tooley said the DEA has seized six times the amount of fentanyl in South Carolina so far this year than it did all of the year before.

“It’s a good reminder that kids need to be on the lookout for any fake pills, illicit pills. We know that these organizations, these cartels, have no regard for human life. We know that they’re going to continue to flood our community with this dangerous poison. And we know that one pill can kill,” Tooley said.

According to prosecutors, brothers Alberto Rios-Landeros and Chris Guadalupe Rios-Landeros, both from California, were operating the tractor-trailer. They both were federally indicted on Tuesday and face up to life in prison for charges of conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine.

A third man, Silvano Jimenez-Cardenas, is facing state drug trafficking charges in Lexington County. Authorities said Jimenez-Cardenas is a Mexican national who had twice previously been deported, most recently in May of 2015; both Rios-Landeros brothers were legally in the United States.

“This was a great example of how law enforcement works together to make our community safer,” Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said in a statement. “I am proud of the work and collaboration of all of the agencies involved to take this massive amount of drugs off our streets. This should send a strong message to criminals that we are all working together to combat illegal drugs.”

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi first announced the bust during a news conference last week about drug busts across the country as part of “Operation Take Back America.” The efforts are a Trump Department of Justice initiative targeting illegal immigration, cartels, and transnational organizations.

“With these cartels, it’s coming back, it’s coming in more than ever,” Bondi said of fentanyl entering the U.S. “The border has stopped that, but we’re going to catch them and we’re going to prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”

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