4 men in Myrtle Beach area illegally brought drugs to city, sent money back to Mexico
Four men from Mexico and in the Myrtle Beach area illegally were sentenced federally for distributing fentanyl and heroin in the coastal city.
Federico Parra Lopez, 32, and Marcos Flores Aquino, 25, were convicted of conspiring to distribute the drugs in the Myrtle Beach area. These sentencings follow those of their co-defendants, Miguel Angulo Perez, 22, and Omar Sanchez Aquino, 33, who were previously sentenced in this case. All four men are from Mexico and were in the United States illegally, according to a press release from the U.S. District Attorney in South Carolina.
Parra Lopez was sentenced to 130 months in federal prison, which includes a five-year sentence for possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Flores Aquino and Angulo Perez were both sentenced to 46 months imprisonment, and Sanchez Aquino was sentenced to 37 months. Each of the men will be deported upon completion of their prison sentences, the release said. There is no parole in the federal system.
Drug trafficking organization in Mexico, Myrtle Beach
Evidence presented at the sentencing hearings showed that the men were part of a drug trafficking organization that originated in Mexico and operated in Myrtle Beach during 2023 and 2024. After being sent to South Carolina from Mexico, Parra Lopez served as a manager of the operation and was responsible for maintaining an apartment in Myrtle Beach where kilogram quantities of fentanyl and heroin were received for further distribution, the release said.
Parra Lopez was also held accountable for possessing a firearm that was used to protect the drugs at the apartment. Flores Aquino, Angulo Perez and Sanchez Aquino served as drivers who were responsible for repackaging and delivering the drugs at Parra Lopez’s direction and collecting drug proceeds to be sent back to Mexico, the release said. The entire operation was shut down after a joint federal, state and local investigation resulted in a federal indictment in October 2024.
Operation Take Back America
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel illegal immigration, eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect communities from violent crime, the release said.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, in partnership with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the Myrtle Beach Police Department, the Horry County Sheriff’s Office and the Horry County Police Department.
