Police arrest 32 people in sting that produces more than $33k worth of heroin, cocaine, more

A four-month-long operation centered around Bellamy Drive netted the seizure of more than $33,000 worth of illicit drugs and firearms and led to 32 arrests all aimed at halting a drug trade that police say has stolen lives and ruined others.

“If you’re committing a crime in Horry County, we’re coming after you,” said Chief Joe Hill of the Horry County Police Department after a news conference announcing the drug bust.

The department seized approximately 1,214 dosage units of heroin valued at $24,000 on the street, 79.2 grams of cocaine worth an estimated $5,100, about 19.4 grams of crack cocaine worth an estimated $1,600 and approximately 1.5 pounds of marijuana valued at $3,000, in the operation.

Officers also seized four handguns, two shotguns, a rifle and a Mercedes Benz valued at more than $30,000 and $10,467 in currency.

For the criminals who still remain on the streets, Hill says they have two options.

“One, is to stop what you’re doing and become a productive citizen in the county or two, continue what you’re doing, criminal enterprise, and go to jail for a very, very long time. We’re not stopping,” he said.

Lt. Jamie DeBari, in charge of narcotics, vice and the department’s street crimes unit, said that the seizure of illicit drugs, firearms and currency was the result of a four-month-long undercover operation “in the area of Bellamy Drive to target the dealers up there.”

Thirty-two suspects were arrested, including a 15-year-old, who was charged with distributing crack cocaine and possessing heroin. Charges ranged from trafficking and other drug offenses to the unlawful neglect of a child.

Both dealers and buyers were arrested in the operation, according to police.

“We’re trying to cut it off at its knees and target the dealers but we also target the users too in the hope that they see and realize that they need help and that they seek the help that they need for the addiction to these narcotics,” DeBari said.

Two other operations aimed at curbing narcotics in the county are on the department’s horizon, he said, adding that the public can help in their quest to “take this poison off the streets.”

“If you see something, say something,” he said. Police ask residents to report suspicious activity like a steady stream of strange cars coming to and leaving a home.

Hill says they will continue to fight the war on drugs that has littered the county with casualties from addictions and overdoses to the countless family members who have had to watch their loved ones suffer through it.

Officers are coming after the dealers.

“We will hit them where it hurts. We will take away their freedom and stop the terrorizing of our communities,” Hill said, outlying a plan of action.

“On the supply side, we’ll identify and arrest the dealers at the street level by collaborating with our federal partners to disrupt the supply chain. We will continue to apply pressure to disrupt the organized networks that feeds this poison to our community. And what you see here today before you, although small in comparison to the larger problem is one of the first steps in meeting that goal,” he said, pointing to a table covered with drugs, firearms and cash seized in the recent operation.

“On the demand side,” he says, they are exploring “creative and innovative programs” to help the addicted and the afflicted. Officers are also working to educate the youth and those prescribed legally with painkillers the importance of making sure those medicines are secure and destroyed when they are no longer needed.

“There’s a whole lot of folks who look just like me in this uniform … up and down the Grand Strand and we’re committed. We are going to eradicate this problem from our community,” Hill said.

This story was originally published November 7, 2016 at 1:32 PM with the headline "Police arrest 32 people in sting that produces more than $33k worth of heroin, cocaine, more."