MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – A Myrtle Beach man has been sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to drug charges, according to a press release from SC District Attorney’s Office.
Leroy Anthony Griffin pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute oxycodone.
The press release says that evidence presented during the trial showed that the case involved a drug trafficking organization. Evidence also showed that Griffin and several others presented counterfeit and forged prescriptions for oxycodone tablets to various pharmacies in South Carolina and elsewhere.
The DEA and SC DHEC seized multiple counterfeit and forged prescriptions that were linked back to the drug trafficking organization. Both organizations interviewed numerous people who identified Griffin as the boss and man in charge who directed them to fill counterfeit and forge prescriptions.
On January 31, 2018, agents and officers executed a search warrant for a house in Conway, according to the release. There they found Griffin hiding in a closet under a pile of clothes. Investigators seized two laptops as well as multiple cell phones containing text messages related to drug distribution, pictures of counterfeit prescriptions, and incoming calls from various pharmacies. Investigators were able to link the phone numbers of those phones to numbers listed on the counterfeit prescriptions.
United States District Judge Donald C. Coggins, Jr., of Spartanburg, sentenced Griffin to 110 months in federal prison, to be followed by a six-year term of court-ordered supervision with no opportunity for parole.
“Drug trafficking organizations like the one run by Leroy Griffin are flooding our streets with highly addictive prescription opioids like oxycodone,” said U.S. Attorney Sherri Lydon. “Dismantling these criminal enterprises and prosecuting those who operate them are critical steps toward loosening the grip of the opioid epidemic on our communities. We are grateful to DEA, DHEC, SLED, and the Fifteenth Circuit Drug Enforcement Unit for their continued efforts to stop the unlawful diversion and distribution of legitimate prescription drugs.”
Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division stated, “The amount of prison time Mr. Griffin received correctly reflects his leadership role as the source of supply for dangerous opioid prescriptions like oxycodone. This sentencing removes yet another dangerous criminal from our streets and sends a clear message to others who may choose to indulge in drug trafficking. DEA, its law enforcement partners and the United States Attorney’s Office will relentlessly pursue and ultimately prosecute criminals like Mr. Griffin.”
