36 charged in Mexico-based drug trafficking case tied to South Carolina

CHARLESTON, SC (WPDE) — According to the Department of Justice, 36 people have been charged in a federal investigation into an alleged Mexico-based drug trafficking and money laundering organization that supplied drugs to South Carolina.

Nine of those charged were described by prosecutors as being in the country illegally.

Six defendants have pleaded guilty, according to the department.

The investigation led the Drug Enforcement Administration to seize 346 kilograms of fentanyl, 70 kilograms of cocaine, 23 kilograms of methamphetamine, 34 pounds of marijuana, 43 firearms and more than $2.8 million, authorities said.

Agents also seized jewelry and 15 luxury vehicles, including two Rolls-Royces, a Lamborghini and an Aston Martin.

Authorities also secured notices tied to 17 properties in South Carolina and Georgia, with an estimated combined value of nearly $4 million, the department said.

An indictment in April charged 18 people. A 42-count superseding indictment unsealed in November charged 16 more, while two people were charged in a separate indictment in July 2025.

The investigation found that the organization had operated in South Carolina since at least 2011 and supplied the state with hundreds of kilograms of fentanyl and cocaine since at least 2021, according to prosecutors.

The drugs originated in Mexico and were transported across the U.S. southern border, authorities said.

The alleged distribution network reached the Lowcountry, Pee Dee, Grand Strand and Midlands regions.

Members allegedly repackaged and redistributed large quantities of fentanyl delivered by the organization.