Dozens ran a drug ring in the Grand Strand and some deals happened in rehab parking lots
More than two dozen people ran a drug operation in the Grand Strand, and earlier this month a 68-year-old was found guilty for his role in the operation.
The operation occurred in Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Atlantic Beach, Florence, South Carolina, and in southern North Carolina, federal officials stated in a news release.
John Henry Johnson pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin and two counts for the attempted distribution of heroin in January and February of 2017 in connection to the ring, federal officials said.
He faces up to 30 years in prison.
Police said the investigation was into drug trafficking in the Grand Strand. Some of the people in the operation were part of a national gang that sells drugs and guns and commits violence. The gang members worked with non-gang members, such as Johnson, to increase profits from drug sales.
Federal and state law enforcement spent more than two years investigating the ring, officials said.
Johnson was a mid-level heroin dealer who sold thousands of dollars worth of drugs, federal officials said. Johnson sometimes met his suppliers in the parking lot of a drug rehabilitation facility to buy drugs that he could later sell.
This story was originally published January 31, 2019 at 4:22 PM.
