South Carolina's State Grand Jury has indicted 25 people in a large drug-trafficking and dogfighting investigation centred on Chester and Lancaster counties, Attorney General Alan Wilson announced. The roundup, called Operation “Duffle Bag Boyz,” follows a multi-agency investigation, and all charges are allegations that the defendants are presumed innocent of unless proven in court.
Source: South Carolina Attorney General's Office via EIN Presswire
According to the Attorney General's office, the organisation allegedly trafficked large amounts of methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl and marijuana across the Midlands and had connections to inmates in the state prison system. A number of the defendants are also indicted on dogfighting charges, officials said.
Before this week's roundup, investigators said they had already seized 2.62 pounds of fentanyl, 6.88 pounds of methamphetamine, 1.21 pounds of cocaine, 4.5 ounces of crack cocaine, 2.5 pounds of marijuana and more than 30 firearms, along with over 10,000 pressed fentanyl pills. The roundup itself seized more than four additional pounds of suspected fentanyl and more firearms, with analysis of that evidence still pending.
Investigators seized 47 dogs in the operation. The Attorney General's office said some of the animals may have to be euthanised despite efforts to save them.
“The scourge of illegal narcotics affects all communities in South Carolina, both large and small,” Attorney General Wilson said, praising the partnership among state, local and federal agencies. State Grand Jury Division Chief Attorney Creighton Waters said it is “unfortunately all too common to see allegations of drug trafficking, felony possession of firearms, and dogfighting all together.”
WSOC-TV also reported the arrests, saying more than two dozen people were taken into custody in the Lancaster-area crackdown. Officials have not released a full list of charges for each defendant, and the cases will proceed through the State Grand Jury process.
Source: WSOC-TV Channel 9