A South Carolina sheriff’s office has concluded a one-year investigation into a major drug operation that saw them seizing enough fentanyl to kill around 15 million people.
The York County Sheriff’s Office revealed the details of the investigation during a Monday press conference attended by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Fentanyl seized by York County Sheriff’s deputies.
(York County Sheriff’s Office)
Sheriff’s deputies said they executed a search warrant last week on Golden Pond Drive and another on Sherwood Circle.
Deputies discovered more than 30,000 grams of fentanyl. Per the DEA, just two milligrams could be potentially fatal, meaning that the deputies discovered enough fentanyl to kill approximately 15 million people.
$1.5M WORTH OF DRUGS SEIZED FROM VACANT SEATTLE APARTMENT
An assortment of other illicit narcotics were discovered at an additional address, including methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana, and mushrooms, authorities said.
“Folks, if this was a bag full of terrorists, if this was anthrax, our response would be overwhelming,” Young County Sheriff Kevin Tolson said. “Yet our response to the opioid and fentanyl crisis is underwhelming.”
Six people have been charged in a major drug bust in South Carolina.
(York County Sheriff’s Office)
Six people have been charged in the operation: Javaris Johnson, 35; Quonzy Hope, 34; Thomas Perry, 29; Timario Gayton, 30; India Dixon, 36; and Jajuana Johnson, 32. They face up to 15 years in prison, the maximum for possession with the intent to distribute.
While no deaths have been linked to this specific drug operation, Monday’s press conference was attended by family members who have lost loved ones to fentanyl, which is 50 times stronger than heroin.
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A Families Against Fentanyl analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data released in December 2021 found that illicit fentanyl poisoning was the No. 1 cause of death for American adults between the ages of 18 and 45 last year. Additionally, a record 107,000 Americans died of drug overdoses and poisonings last year, driven by fentanyl. There are about 150 overdose deaths per day in the United States.
Fox News’ Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.
