Clover man pleads guilty in biggest ever York County fentanyl bust
One of four South Carolina men charged in the largest fentanyl seizure in York County history has pleaded guilty in federal court, documents show.
Javaris Latrey Johnson, of Clover, pleaded guilty in Columbia Thursday to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl, records show.
York County and federal drug agents seized more than 60 pounds of fentanyl in October 2022 from a mobile home near Lake Wylie, which federal indictments said was a secret drug lab.
Johnson faces a minimum of 10 years to life in prison, according to the plea agreement signed by him and federal prosecutors, the public record plea agreement shows.
Johnson also agreed to forfeit his Clover property to the federal government, according to the agreement.
Charges remain pending against three other men arrested in the case: Quonzy Lanard Hope, Thomas Anthony Perry, and Timario Martez Gayton, federal court records show.
The four men were arrested in October 2022 when agents raided a home along Lake Wylie.
The seizure
Federal and local drug agents and prosecutors say the operation along the lake that straddles York and Mecklenburg counties was a cartel-connected “clandestine” lab operating in the Southeastern United States.
Several pill presses were seized, along with pounds of drugs, guns, and more than $50,000 in cash, according to documents filed in the case.
Fentanyl
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is approximately 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The DEA says fentanyI is inexpensive, widely available, highly addictive — and lethal.
Federal, state, and local officials have said fentanyl-related overdoses have spiked in the region in recent years.
In York County in 2022, 90 of 111 overdose deaths were attributed to fentanyl, according to information released publicly by the York County Coroner.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police have seen a 20 percent jump in overdose deaths in 2023 with fentanyl the main culprit, the Charlotte Observer reported in August.
The four defendants were initially charged in South Carolina state court in October 2022, then indicted by federal authorities.
After the 2022 seizure, local, state and federal officials at a news conference the seizure showed a need for a fentanyl trafficking law in South Carolina state courts. A fentanyl trafficking state law took effect in South Carolina earlier this year.
What happens now?
Johnson remains in federal custody. No date has been set for sentencing.
The other three defendants who have pleaded not guilty also remain in custody pending court dates.
This story was originally published October 10, 2023 at 12:04 PM with the headline "Clover man pleads guilty in biggest ever York County fentanyl bust."
