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'Cartel meth' seized from home near York Co. elementary school

ROCK HILL, S.C. — Three men are in jail facing drug trafficking charges following a six-month investigation in Rock Hill.

York County deputies and Rock Hill police teamed up on the investigation and arrested Benjamin Earle, Austin Hazen, and Hardy Lanier on a variety of drug and gun charges.

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On Thursday evening, police executed a search warrant at a home on Cavendale Drive where they found more than 12 ounces of methamphetamine, 135 doses of ecstasy, 54 ounces of GHB -- also known as the date rape drug -- and an assortment of pills including oxycodone.

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Officers also seized two handguns and two more long guns.

The house is only a half mile from York Road Elementary School.

Earle, Hazen, Lanier

"This is pretty much all methamphetamine. It's a little bit more than 11 ounces of meth,” the commander of the York County Drug Unit, Lt. John Rainier, said.

He said his unit seized all the drugs from a pricey house in a quiet suburban neighborhood.

"The day of going to certain areas for drugs, it's over with. It's everywhere,” Rainier said.

Rainier said meth is starting to make a comeback because cartels in Mexico are cooking it in high-tech labs.

"This is cartel meth,” Rainier said. "You put this in the wrong hands, someone who isn't used to doing that high purity of meth, it can have serious consequences, death."

Families who live and work by the house and nearby school said they're stunned something that dangerous has been spreading onto their streets.

"It can kill kids, and you've got some in your neighborhood doing that. It's very disturbing," neighbor Ron Elmore said.

Court officials said Earle has already bonded out of jail. Hazen was also in court Friday morning for a bond hearing. It’s unclear whether Lanier has faced a judge yet.

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