Derrall Lanard Reed, Gun and Drug Trafficking, South Carolina 2020

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA – 02/2020

Derrall Lanard Reed, a/k/a ‘Ric0,’ 35, of Columbia, has pleaded guilty to five counts of felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and four counts of possession with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine and crack cocaine.

Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that in early 2020, agents from Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), along with local agencies, conducted an investigation into firearms within the Columbia area. During this investigation, undercover ATF agents were introduced to Reed, who during five transactions in February 2020 sold five handguns, many of which were loaded, and crack cocaine and cocaine to undercover ATF agents.

During one of the transactions, the undercover agent tried to buy Reed’s personal firearm, but he refused, saying he didn’t want to be “naked” (without a gun). Reed was arrested on federal charges and detained without bond on March 12, 2020, when he showed up to sell another firearm to the undercover agents. A federal search warrant was executed on his home. Inside the home, agents found his personal firearm, which had a high capacity magazine, and various rounds of ammunition.

Reed has prior state convictions for: possession of crack cocaine from 2004, possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine from 2006, and assault and battery with intent to kill from 2006, where he shot another person in the thigh. On the firearm charges, Reed faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000. On the drug charges, Reed faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $2,000,000.

United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis accepted the guilty plea and will sentence Reed after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the United States Probation Office. This investigation by the ATF, Columbia Police Department, Richland County Sheriff’s Department, and the Midlands Gang Task Force was made possible by leads generated from the ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN).

The technology known as “ShotSpotter” relies upon acoustic sensors to pinpoint where gunfire occurs. Information from the sensors is sent to officers of the Columbia Police Department and 9-1-1 dispatchers through real-time digital alerts. This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the violent crime reduction efforts.

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