A South Carolina man has been sentenced to nearly a quarter century in federal prison on a host of drug and gun charges – including charges related to his attempt to kill a government witness (and the attorney who was representing the witness).
According to a news release from the U.S. attorney’s office in South Carolina, 44-year-old Lazarus Floyd of Taylors, S.C. was sentenced to 270 months (22.5 years) of imprisonment followed by another 120 months (10 years) of supervised release by U.S. district court judge Timothy M. Cain.
There is no parole in the federal system …
According to the release, “evidence presented in court showed that, on January 29, 2019, while executing a search warrant at Floyd’s residence in Woodruff, law enforcement officers found 2,579 grams of methamphetamine, 1,197 grams of heroin, 1,600 grams of marijuana, and $15,255 in cash.”
Officers also discovered “numerous items of drug trafficking paraphernalia including a pill press, digital scales, cutting agents, and packaging material, as well as 12 pistols, seven rifles, and two shotguns,” the release stated.
More ominously, federal prosecutors presented evidence attesting to Floyd’s attempt “to hire a hitman to kill a witness and that witness’s attorney because the witness was thought to be cooperating with law enforcement.”
Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), U.S. Marshals and local law enforcement agencies collaborated to neutralize the threat.
“More often than not, drug trafficking, guns and violence are intertwined,” acting U.S. attorney Rhett DeHart said in a statement. “This sentence highlights our office’s commitment to ensuring our community is protected from violent criminals and the powerful work of our local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies that not only thwarted a murder plot but also helped to ensure justice was served.”
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FBI special agent in charge Susan Ferensic said the sentence marked “a major step in making South Carolina safe.”
“A major drug trafficker, who possessed a large number of firearms to support his enterprise, also threatened our criminal justice system itself by plotting to kill a witness and legal counsel,” Ferensic said. “To keep our communities safe, witnesses need to know they can report critical information to law enforcement and they will be protected. This investigation and sentence demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to that principle.”
The FBI and DEA worked alongside the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) and the Spartanburg county sheriff’s office on this investigation. Floyd was successfully prosecuted by assistant U.S. attorneys Sloan P. Ellis and Brandi B. Hinton.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
(Via: FITSNews)
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina and before that he was a bass player and a dive bar bouncer. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and seven children. And yes, he has LOTS of hats (including the above-pictured Toronto Blue Jays’ lid).
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