25 suspects caught in South Carolina drug trafficking, dogfighting bust

LANCASTER, S.C. — More than two dozen people were arrested in an operation to crack down on drug trafficking in South Carolina.

Fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine were just some of the drugs allegedly being sold by “the Duffle Bag Boys,” according to South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson and deputies in the Lancaster County area.

South Carolina Reporter Tina Terry learned these suspects are accused of running dogfighting rings too.

A lot of people may have seen state agents on the streets of Lancaster and Chester, rounding up suspects in this case on Monday. In the past couple hours, state and local officials announced 25 people were arrested and charged in connection with what they call a large-scale drug trafficking organization.

The suspects were accused of pushing drugs, including fentanyl. The attorney general said it was enough to kill more than a million people.

Detectives also say they seized 47 dogs linked to alleged dogfighting operations, along with about 30 firearms. Law enforcement leaders say the arrests have made communities in this region safer.

“These guns are now off the streets. These individuals are now off the streets. And obviously we’ll be prosecuted and hopefully put in prison for a long time. These are people who will no longer be able to commit these violent acts,” Wilson said.

Wilson said some of people involved in the drug ring were already behind bars, organizing activities via cell phone.

One of the drugs seized in this bust was cychlorphine. It’s 10 times more powerful than fentanyl.

We told you in May the synthetic opioid drug has already killed one person in South Carolina.