Is SC in the midst of an opioid crisis? Is the situation getting better?
In recent years, South Carolina has grappled with rising overdose deaths from synthetic opioids like fentanyl. But is the state in the midst of a full-blown opioid crisis?
Recent drug busts and data from a federal law enforcement agency suggest the answer is complicated.
On average, four people in South Carolina died every day from a drug overdose in 2024, totaling around 1,465, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of that number, 68% were deaths caused by synthetic opioids dominated by fentanyl.
Just two milligrams of fentanyl is enough to kill a person, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
And while overdose deaths from fentanyl in South Carolina are down by 30% compared to last year, fentanyl seizures in the state in 2025 have increased by six times, according to the DEA.
The rise in fentanyl seizures is due in large part to an historical drug bust conducted by the DEA, Lexington County Sheriff’s Department and S.C. Transport Police in July.
Following two coordinated traffic stops in Lexington and Richland counties, officers seized 156 pounds of fentanyl concealed among legitimate products being transported by a tractor trailer that was operated by two brothers, Alberto Rios-Landeros, 26, and Chris Guadalupe Rios-Landeros, 23, both of Delano, California, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina.
The seized narcotics, believed to be sourced in Mexico and transported across the southern border, was enough to kill the entire population of South Carolina five times over — an estimated 25 million people — according to Michael Tooley, the DEA assistant special agent in charge for Columbia.
In addition, officers seized 44 pounds of methamphetamine and $17,000. The seizure’s street value totaled $1.7 million, Tooley said.
Both men were indicted on charges of conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine, and face life in prison, if convicted, according to the S.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office.
High-intensity drug trafficking areas
There are five counties in South Carolina the DEA classifies as high-intensity drug trafficking areas, including Richland, Lexington, Greenville, Florence, Charleston and Horry.
The high-intensity program was created by Congress under the Drug Abuse Act of 1988 and provides assistance to federal, state and local law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug trafficking regions within the United States.
Narcotics from Mexico are first routed to Atlanta before making their way to other parts of the southeastern U.S., including South Carolina, according to Tooley.
So far this year, the DEA has seized 143 grams of fentanyl across South Carolina, according to Tooley. Of that amount, 98 grams of fentanyl were seized in Columbia, which far exceeds other high-intensity drug trafficking counties in the state, including Charleston at 14 grams, Florence at 15 grams and Greenville at 16 grams.
There have been 253 drug-related arrests this year, with 89 in Charleston, 83 in Columbia, 50 in Greenville and 31 in Florence, according to Tooley.
Hefty amounts of cash have been found at the busts. To date, $2.4 million has been seized during drug-related arrests. Of that amount, $1.2 million was seized in Columbia, nearly $813,000 in Charleston and $393,231 in Greenville.
The nexus of interstates that bleed into Columbia have resulted in higher drug trafficking in the Midlands, compared to other areas of the state, Tooley said.
But recent drug busts around the Palmetto State suggest the fentanyl crisis is, by no means, limited to Columbia.
On Thursday, Oct. 2, a Sonic restaurant in the Upstate was shut down after officers found blue fentanyl pills in its storage room. The discovery was made in connection to a warrant for the restaurant’s manager, Kayla Beggs, for distribution of fentanyl.
Earlier that day, Greenwood police also arrested Quintavius Crawford who was charged with trafficking fentanyl after officers found approximately 250 grams of blue fentanyl pills and two firearms at 108 Lisa Drive, according to a news release.
On Sept. 22, deputies with the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department charged Bradford Wayne Jovanelly, 46, with fentanyl-induced homicide after investigators determined he sold fentanyl to a woman who overdosed on the drug and died, according to a news release by the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department.
On Sept. 9, DEA agents, in coordination with the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s office and the Spartanburg and Greer police departments, seized 1.7 pounds of fentanyl along with three kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, two pounds of marijuana, a half pound of ecstasy and three firearms, according to Tooley.
Notably, this seizure included a machine used to press fentanyl powder into kilos, which gives buyers the impression the drug is more pure, thus incentivizing the sale, Tooley said.
Two people, Preston Young and Branna Moore, were arrested in connection with the seizure and charged with trafficking methamphetamine over 400 grams, trafficking cocaine 10-28 grams, three counts of possession of a weapon during a violent crime, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon and exposing a child to methamphetamine, according to the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office.
Moore was additionally charged with conspiracy to traffic fentanyl over 28 grams and conspiracy to traffic cocaine 10-28 grams.
DEA, U.S. attorney urge parents to talk to kids about drugs
The DEA says fentanyl is increasingly being mixed with other illicit drugs, such as heroin, cocaine and counterfeit prescription pills. As such, Tooley and the U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina, Bryan Sterling, urged parents to talk with their children about the dangers of illicit drugs.
“I really would encourage you to have parents talk to their children about the dangerous drugs that are out there and how that one decision can change their life,” Sterling said during a DEA presentation to the media last month.
Tooley said kids have begun using emojis to transact illicit drugs, with his agency offering guidance on some of the ones being used.
“We urge parents to be mindful of these dangers and ways kids are communicating with one another and to have regular and tough conversations with their children and loved ones about the danger of these drugs,” Tooley said. “These emojis are just a snapshot of different emojis that are out there for the distribution of illegal narcotics for these children to communicate with their friends.”
