6 Charged in Sumter and Lee County Drug Trafficking Conspiracy

COLUMBIA, S.C. - A federal grand jury in Columbia returned a multi-count indictment, presented by the U.S. Attorney's Office, charging six individuals for their roles in trafficking cocaine, crack cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and marijuana.

The following defendants were arraigned in federal court today:

• Lorenzo Blackwell, 27, of Bishopville
• Marquis Quintell Durant, 38, of Sumter
• Marcus Martenez McConico, 37, of Sumter
• Kalvin Clay Singletary, 36, of Sumter
• Perry Sherrod Taft, 65, of Sumter
• Nikennia Fatese Carter, 34, of Bishopville

The indictment stems from a Homeland Security Task Force investigation targeting individuals involved in drug trafficking in the Sumter and Lee County areas. During the investigation, law enforcement recovered significant quantities of cocaine, crack cocaine, fentanyl, marijuana, and multiple firearms. This operation was also part of the FBI's Operation Spring Cleaning, a surge of law enforcement resources targeting violent gangs and drug activity.

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.

The case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Sumter Police Department, Sumter County Sheriff's Office, and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, with assistance from the FBI Charlotte Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ariyana Gore is prosecuting the case.

All charges in the indictment are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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