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8 arrested after drug raid in Clover; Police seize guns, cash

CLOVER, S.C — Drug agents have arrested eight suspected high-level drug dealers and are looking for more after a raid in a Clover neighborhood.

Authorities seized guns, cash, and several types of drugs in Operation Poison Oak, which they said was nearly a year in the making.

"These gentlemen were in an enterprise, so to speak, they were working with one another," said Lt. Mike Ligon with York County's Multijurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit.

In the surprise raid, agents arrested eight people and searched three homes in the Oak Ridge neighborhood in Clover.

Residents watched as undercover officers swarmed the area.

"We heard big booms and then a helicopter I was thinking someone had gotten shot, I wasn't sure," said neighbor Jahuana Johnson.

Authorities used SWAT teams and flashbang devices to distract the suspects, who they described as particularly dangerous.

"During every drug transaction that went on there, the people either had guns on them, or guns were in the residence laying out in plain view," said Ligon.

Investigators said they were still searching for other unidentified suspects that were part of the wide-ranging network and had issued 34 different warrants.