Dozens of suspected drug offenders nabbed in 'Operation Fall Harvest'

LANCASTER COUNTY, S.C. — A 10-month investigation landed 70 alleged drug dealers in the Lancaster County jail, deputies said.

Operation Fall Harvest resulted in 135 different charges.

Sheriff Barry Faile said the operation was launched after complaints from residents about drugs in their neighborhoods.

Officers went undercover and also used criminal informants for information.

"I just want to let everyone know that drugs, gangs, will always be top priority," Faile said.

Those arrested are accused of dealing crack, cocaine, heroin, meth, marijuana and prescription pills.

In September, Channel 9 reported that about 30 pounds of cocaine worth more than $1 million was found in an auto body shop in Indian Land.

The sheriff said there's a reason for the growth in drug trafficking here.

"The county population has doubled in the last 10-12 years. People are moving into Lancaster County," he said.

Antwan James, a Lancaster resident, said the problem is a lack of involvement in the lives of  young people.

They grow up surrounded by crime.

"If you sit in the hood all day and you (don’t have anything) but guns and drugs and violence and this is all you see, this is what you become," he said.

Darren Mackey, a Lancaster business owner, said the courts have to hand down tougher sentences to make a real impact on the drug trade.

"That's not happening like it should be, so they're able to get out and they repeat the same thing over and over and do the same crime," he said.

Most of those charged are out on bond and there are about a dozen more people deputies are still looking for.

"As long as the sun keeps rising there will be those in our community who, for various reasons, continue to use and deal illegal drugs," said Sheriff Barry Faile. "As secretive as they might think their activities are, they are known to our citizens and become known to law enforcement. We will continue to conduct these operations and put as many of these people in jail as we can. The rise in the use of heroin and pills is alarming, and we have had far too many calls for overdoses and overdose deaths from these substances in our county. By conducting these operations, we also combat violent crimes and property crimes and protect the children of parents who choose this lifestyle."

In all, 45 charges for crack cocaine, 23 for cocaine, 19 for heroin, and 29 for marijuana were made along with 30 charges for controlled substances from pills. Officials said 20 trafficking charges and 75 distribution charges are among those totals, while nine firearms charges were also made and several weapons were seized.

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