Lexington County heroin traffickers sentenced to decades in prison
Two men have been sentenced to a combined 55 years for running a heroin trafficking operation in West Columbia.
Israel Mendoza Cervantes, 29, was sentenced to 35 years following a jury trial in Lexington County for heroin trafficking, cocaine distribtion, and the possession of a weapon while committing a violent crime, according a statement released by the 11th Circuit Solicitor’s Office. His co-defendant, Angel Ibarra, 24, received 25 years for heroin trafficking following a separate trial in May.
Cervantes and Ibarra, who prosecutors say went by “Migos” and “Ace,” respectively, were arrested following an investigation by Lexington and Richland sheriff’s departments.
After receiving a tip from the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, narcotics agents with the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department began surveilling Ibarra’s residence on Leica Lane in West Columbia. The 11th Circuit Solicitors Office says that deputies soon determined that the two men, who had moved to Lexington County, were running a drug trafficking operation from the residence on the quiet outskirts of West Columbia.
On the morning of Oct. 24, 2018, Cervantes had just returned from a drug deal when SWAT officers and sheriff’s deputies raided the home, according to prosecutors.
As SWAT breached the door to a shed, they found Cervantes on the ground surrounded by drugs and guns. While searching the property, narcotics agents confiscated over 100 grams of heroin, $3,000 in cash, four guns, and equipment used in the sale of heroin, including scales and balloons.
Circuit Court Judge Daniel D. Hall sentenced Cervantes to serve his cocaine and heroin distribution charges concurrently, followed by five years for possessing a weapon while committing a violent crime. Under South Carolina law, trafficking heroin is considered a violent crime, elevating the possession of the weapons to a felony.
At Cervantes’ sentencing, 11th Circuit Assistant Solicitor Kelly Oppenheimer, who prosecuted the case along with Assistant Solicitor Angela Martin, called it “unconscionable” that Cervantes would traffic in a drug that had resulted in 53 fatal overdoses in the county since 2018.
Harrison Saunders VI represented both defendants at trial.