Man pleads guilty in Columbia heroin conspiracy after being on the run for 8 years
The last defendant in a Columbia drug scheme has pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin.
Corey Xavier Baldwin, 53, of Concord, N.C, was a fugitive for eight years after law enforcement said Baldwin worked with 10 other individuals to help distribute heroin throughout the Columbia area in 2013. Baldwin also transported money to New York during trips to obtain the drug, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Law enforcement said they intercepted heroin packages destined for Columbia through a 2013 investigation and in 2014 arrested six of the 10 defendants.
Baldwin was one of four individuals who remained a fugitive until he was arrested by United States Marshals Service in North Carolina in September 2022.
Two more suspects were arrested in 2017 in Texas, and one was arrested in New York in May 2022.
Six of Baldwin’s co-defendants were from Columbia and also pleaded guilty for their role in the drug conspiracy. They were all sentenced to prison with times ranging from about four years to 27 years.
Baldwin faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and up to a $1,000,000 fine.
