Midlands drug trafficking ring busted, 17 arrested after years-long investigation

A years-long investigation into a drug trafficking operation in the Midlands resulted in more than a dozen arrests and the seizure of more than a hundred guns, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Tuesday.

For more than two years, federal, state, and local law enforcement officers have been investigating drug traffickers in the Lexington County area, U.S. Attorney Peter McCoy said in a news release.

Seventeen people were charged in federal court for their roles in the methamphetamine distribution ring, according to the release.

Along with the arrests, about 35 kilograms of meth, 116 guns, and various quantities of heroin and fentanyl were seized by law enforcement, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.

“The people of South Carolina deserve safe places to call home,” McCoy said in the release. “When we work (deliberately) with our federal, state, and local partners, we are able to dismantle entire drug-dealing organizations and make communities safer. These charges speak to those efforts.”

The case began in July 2017 as an investigation by a number of agencies — including ATF, the Lexington County Multi-Agency Narcotics Enforcement Team, and the 11th Circuit Solicitor’s Office — into meth trafficking and the illegal sale of firearms, according to the release.

The organization moved drugs across state lines and also sold unlicensed firearms, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.

During the course of the investigation, law enforcement officers used controlled purchases, confidential informants, and other means to identify, arrest, and charge the other alleged members of the drug trafficking organization, according to the release.

The following people were charged:

▪ Matthew Ward, 36, of Lexington

▪ Alecia Youngblood, 38, of Lexington

▪ Cynthia Rooks, 52, of Lexington

▪ Rebecca Martinez, 33, of Lexington

▪ Richard Ford, 62, of Lexington

▪ Amber Hoffman, 26, of Lexington

▪ Samuel Judy, 29, of Lexington

▪ Brian Bruce, 48, of West Columbia

▪ Montana Barefoot, 25, of Lexington

▪ John Johnson, 36, of Gaston

▪ Benjamin Singleton, 46, of Gaston

▪ Kayla Mattoni, 38, of Lexington

▪ Clifford Kyzer, 35, of Lexington

▪ Kelly Jordan, 34, of Williamston

▪ Kelly Still, 43, of Windsor

▪ Tiffanie Brooks, 36, of Columbia

▪ Robert Figueroa, 43, of West Columbia

Investigators identified Youngblood, Ward, and others as key methamphetamine suppliers for major distributors in the Lexington area, and ultimately identified Ward as a leader of the drug trafficking organization, according to the release.

“This operation shows how local and federal agencies can work together to make communities safer,” Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said in the release. “In operations like these, deputies and agents teamed up to get sources of drugs and weapons off the street. We’re thankful for the relationships we have with our counterparts at the federal level. When we have a united front against crime that really makes a difference in the lives of those we serve.”

The case was also investigated by the FBI, Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, and the South Carolina Department of Corrections.

The U.S. Attorney’s office said this case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods, which tries to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. Project Safe Neighborhoods focuses on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime, according to the release.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey Rankin Smith of the 11th Judicial Circuit is prosecuting the case, alongside attorney Lisa Man with the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brandi Hinton and Justin Holloway of the Greenville office.

“Collaborative public safety efforts such as this investigation have an immediate and long-lasting impact on our communities,” ATF Special Agent in charge Vincent Pallozzi said in the release. “The work we do in partnership with our local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies has made significant and ongoing progress in creating safer neighborhoods.”

All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.

Staff reporter John Monk contributed to this story.

This story was originally published September 22, 2020 at 10:22 AM.

Noah Feit

The State

803-771-8435

Noah Feit is a Real Time reporter with The State focused on breaking news, public safety and trending news. The award-winning journalist has worked for multiple newspapers since starting his career in 1999. Support my work with a digital subscription