A federal grand jury in Charleston, South Carolina, has returned a nine-count indictment charging 14 individuals with trafficking narcotics, including cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine, as part of a years-long investigation by the Homeland Security Task Force. This brings the total number of people charged in the extensive drug trafficking network, spanning South Carolina, Georgia, and Mexico, to 26, with eight defendants already having pleaded guilty.
The recently unsealed charges include Shawntez Gailliard, Harold Alvin Champaigne, and Dominic Jaquan Mack, all from North Charleston, facing mandatory minimum sentences for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute large quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine. Odilon Reynoso Albaran of Atlanta, Georgia, and others from the Lowcountry area also face significant charges related to cocaine distribution.
The investigation, initiated in 2017 by the FBI and local law enforcement, initially targeted street gangs like Gangster Disciples and Fruit Town Piru in North Charleston. It uncovered a layered drug-trafficking network with supply connections extending to Atlanta and Mexico, distributing various substances including cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine throughout Charleston County.
During the operation, law enforcement seized approximately 61 kilograms of cocaine, 1 kilogram of methamphetamine, 24 pounds of marijuana, 600 grams of fentanyl, 500 grams of heroin, thousands of narcotics pills, and 12 firearms. The case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative, which focuses on eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.
The investigation involved multiple agencies, including the FBI Columbia Field Office, ATF, Secret Service, and various local police and sheriff's departments. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.