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South Carolina attorney general Alan Wilson announced this week that additional statewide grand jury (SGJ) indictments were unsealed for an ongoing narcotics trafficking investigation known as “Devil in Disguise.”
Wilson announced that ten indictments had been issued in five counties against 108 defendants on more than 380 narcotics and related charges.
“We will continue to aggressively fight drug traffickers with every resource we have,” said Wilson. “Soon, we’ll also have a new tool to charge fentanyl traffickers if their drugs kill someone, thanks to the fentanyl-induced homicide bill just passed by the legislature, which we’ve been working to get for three years.”
In response to the growing number of overdose deaths, the Greenville County Sheriff’s Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) began an investigation after the Greenville County coroner’s office reported 278 drug-related overdose deaths in 2022 – most of which were related to fentanyl trafficking – in Greenville County alone.
The DEU coordinated with resources from the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED), Pickens County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) and the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The grand jury investigation “marshal(ed) these and other combined resources has been proceeding since August 2023, resulting in the indictments unsealed from January 2024 through today.”
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According to Wilson’s office, Mexican cartel organizations supply cocaine, fentanyl and methamphetamine – with members already within the U.S. flying to different locations to distribute shipments of cocaine.
The investigation has also seized over $1,000,000 in cash from alleged narcotics proceeds, multiple firearms (including assault rifles), 44 kilograms of cocaine, 4 kilograms of fentanyl and 10 kilograms of methamphetamine, among other drugs recovered through controlled purchases and seizures.
Per Wilson’s office, the investigation revealed that “members of the various conspiracies have historically moved more than 540 kilograms of fentanyl since January of 2020, along with historical trafficking of approximately 850 kilograms of cocaine and 500 kilograms of methamphetamine.”
During this investigation, grand jurors previously indicted alleged fentanyl dealers for murder, accessory before the fact to murder and conspiracy to commit murder for their alleged role in distributing fentanyl to victims who died from resulting overdoses.
Additional charges brought to date include:
- Trafficking in fentanyl
- Trafficking in methamphetamine
- Trafficking heroin
- Trafficking cocaine
- Money laundering
- Illegal possession of a weapon, as well as possession
- Possession with intent to distribute
- Distribution charges for the various narcotics involved
Bond hearings for several of the defendants in this investigation also faced a bond hearing on Monday (May 19, 2025) before S.C. circuit court judge Heath Taylor.
Count on FITSNews to continue following this investigation as it moves forward…
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Erin Parrott is a Greenville, S.C. native who graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2025 with a bachelor degree in broadcast journalism. Got feedback or a tip for Erin? Email her here.
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