MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Federal prosecutors say 36 people now face charges tied to a Mexico-linked drug and money laundering ring whose fentanyl reached the Myrtle Beach area and the rest of the Grand Strand, along with the Pee Dee, Lowcountry and Midlands. The case was announced Tuesday, Nov. 10, and deputies with the Horry County Sheriff’s Office arrested four defendants that day.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Carolina is prosecuting. The Drug Enforcement Administration led the work under a Homeland Security Task Force. Investigators say the group has been active in the state since 2011 or earlier, and that it has moved large quantities of fentanyl and cocaine into South Carolina since 2021. Members are described as operating in Mexico, in South Carolina and elsewhere, and from inside correctional facilities.
Agents report that 346 kilograms of fentanyl were seized, plus 70 kilograms of cocaine, 23 kilograms of methamphetamine, about 34 pounds of marijuana, 43 guns and more than $2.8 million. Fifteen high-end vehicles were seized, among them a Lamborghini, an Aston Martin and two Rolls-Royces, and prosecutors filed notices against 17 pieces of real estate across South Carolina and Georgia valued at close to $4 million.
The charges came in stages. Eighteen people were named in an April indictment. Sixteen more were added this month when a 42-count superseding indictment was unsealed, and two others had been charged back in July 2025. So far, six defendants have entered guilty pleas.
Local departments helped, including the Horry County Sheriff’s Office and police department, and police in Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach and Surfside Beach. Sheriff’s offices in Florence and Georgetown counties and the State Law Enforcement Division also took part. An indictment is only an allegation, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless a court finds otherwise.
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