Gang members sold drugs out of nearly every room in an Atlantic Beach complex, suit says
After a drug raid that netted marijuana, cocaine and guns, the state is trying to shut down an Atlantic Beach apartment complex it calls a nuisance.
The people dealing drugs at the apartments are members of the Bloods street gang, officials say.
Horry County Solicitor Jimmy Richardson filed a complaint Thursday against Dean Marble and various businesses that operate the Ocean Apartments at 612 31st Avenue in Atlantic Beach.
Marble is the owner and operator of the complex, according to court documents. He could not immediately be reached in time for this report.
“Ocean Apartments has the general reputation for violence and repeated acts of unlawful possession or sale of controlled substances,” the filing reads.
The complex has housed and facilitated the sale of drugs since May 2018, according to court documents. Tenants hang out on the patio or in the parking area and sell drugs.
Horry County police and the area’s Drug Enforcement Unit began an investigation in the fall of 2018. In November, officers conducted a raid and found 2.6 pounds of marijuana, 50 grams of crack cocaine, 18 grams of cocaine, 20 Hydrocodone pills and three handguns, according to court records.
Police charged several people in connection to the incident.
“Officers learned there is drug dealing activity in almost every Ocean Apartments’ room,” the filing reads.
Drug dealing tenants also frequently accepted guns in exchange for drugs, according to court records. A shooting happened in January 2018 at the complex and was involved in a dispute over drugs, according to the filing.
A notice of being a public nuisance was served on the complex in late December, the filing states.
The state asked a judge to allow Horry police to take possession of the property and to prevent the owner and employees from using the apartments.
It is the second Grand Strand nuisance property the state has sought to close in recent months. Last year, Richardson filed a suit looking to close a 5th Avenue South residence in Myrtle Beach for drugs and prostitution. The owner of that property said city officials are unfairly targeting him.
This story was originally published February 14, 2019 at 5:43 PM.
