Eleven Charged in Heroin, Cocaine, and Fentanyl Trafficking, South Carolina 2019

A multi-count federal indictment has been handed down against eleven individuals in connection with a wide-ranging conspiracy to import and possess with intent to distribute heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl in the upstate of South Carolina, North Carolina, and elsewhere.

According to the indictment, the defendants conspired to import the narcotics from Mexico and distribute them throughout the region. One count of the indictment charges that in October 2018, four of the defendants conspired to smuggle over $1 million in cash from South Carolina to a place outside the United States in exchange for the narcotics.

The indictment also alleges that the defendants maintained a stash house located in Mountville, South Carolina, where they manufactured and stored controlled substances.

“Today’s indictment is yet another example of the unwavering commitment of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina to disrupting and dismantling the flow of illegal opioids and other narcotics into our state,” said U.S. Attorney Lydon.

The individuals arrested include:

Detric Lee McGowan, aka “Fat”, 46, of Piedmont, South Carolina

Donald Nathaniel Thomas, Jr. a/k/a, “TJ”, 36, of Greenwood, South Carolina

Christopher Jerome Cunningham, 38, of Greenwood, South Carolina

Richard Lamond Longshore, 46, of Greenwood, South Carolina

Celest Henry Blocker, 67, of Fayetteville, North Carolina

Eddie Lee Childs, 49, of Simpsonville, South Carolina

Trevor Maurice Hull, 51, of Greenwood, South Carolina

Danny Morales Lopez, 29, of Fayetteville, North Carolina

Each of the above defendants face a maximum sentence of life in prison, a fine, plus a term of supervised release.

The indictment follows a multi-year Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation, which was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (HIDTA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Postal Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Greenwood Police Department, Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office, Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office, South Carolina Department of Public Safety, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, and the United States Marshals Service.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Leesa Washington and Sloan P. Ellis in the Greenville office.

The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

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