Federal prosecutors have charged 36 people in a drug trafficking and money laundering operation that they say was run by a Mexico-based cartel and reached across much of South Carolina.
U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling announced the charges in Columbia on Tuesday, Nov. 10. The same day, Horry County deputies arrested four of the defendants: Melissa Dantzler, Zaki Harris, Jimmy Davis Jr. and Tykeem Sumpter.
Investigators said the organization has been operating in South Carolina since at least 2011. Its members are in Mexico, South Carolina and other states, and some are even inside federal prisons and the South Carolina Department of Corrections.
According to the Justice Department, the network pressed, repackaged and sold large amounts of fentanyl across the Grand Strand, Pee Dee, Lowcountry and Midlands.
During the investigation, the DEA seized 346 kilograms of fentanyl, 70 kilograms of cocaine, 23 kilograms of methamphetamine, 34 pounds of marijuana, 43 guns and more than $2.8 million. Officials called it the largest fentanyl seizure in state history. Jewelry and 15 luxury vehicles were also taken.
Eighteen people were charged in April and two in July 2025. A superseding indictment unsealed this month added 16 more. Six defendants have already pleaded guilty. The Justice Department said nine of the 36 are in the country illegally.
Charges are accusations. All defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, WMBF, WSPA, WIS
