Leader of Mexican Drug Trafficking Organization Pleads Guilty to Supplying Dozens of Kilograms of Fentanyl, Heroin, and Cocaine from Mexican Cartel into Horry County

FLORENCE, S.C. - Rafael Contreras Ramos, 40, of Mexico, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute controlled substances in South Carolina.

Evidence presented at his change of plea hearing showed that Contreras was a leader of an international drug trafficking organization that was responsible for bringing more than 40 kilograms of cocaine, 14 kilograms of fentanyl, and 1 kilogram of heroin into South Carolina for further distribution. The organization operated primarily in Tucson, Arizona, and had ties to Las Vegas, Nevada, Burlington, North Carolina, and Horry County, South Carolina. The organization was supplied with narcotics and support by a Mexican cartel.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation identified Contreras' organization as a source of supply to a local drug network operating in and around Horry County during a joint investigation with local, state, and federal agencies in 2021. Thereafter, agents confirmed through multiple overt and covert investigative techniques and operations that Contreras and his associates had been trafficking narcotics into Horry County since at least 2016 until its operation was disrupted by federal charges in 2022. Contreras and his associates are also responsible for collecting more than $5 million in drug sale proceeds during this time.

"With our Homeland Security Task Force partners, we are stopping the influx of dangerous, illegal narcotics at the source," said U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling for the District of South Carolina. "Dismantling drug organizations like this makes South Carolina safer."

"The defendant played a direct role in flooding Horry County with illegal drugs, and the consequences were that of violence on our streets, addiction in our neighborhoods, and real harm to people," said FBI Columbia Special Agent in Charge Kevin Moore. "The FBI and our law enforcement partners are sending a strong message: we're not only investigating individual dealers. We're pursuing entire networks from local distribution all the way to the source, no matter their location."

Contreras was arrested in Mexico and extradited to the United States for prosecution. He is currently detained awaiting sentencing. United States District Judge Joseph Dawson accepted his guilty plea and will sentence Contreras after a presentence report is prepared by the United States Probation Office. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, and up to life imprisonment. He will be deported to Mexico after serving his sentence.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.

This case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office, along with Horry County Sheriff's Office, Myrtle Beach Police Department, and Horry County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Everett McMillian is prosecuting the case.

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