MARION COUNTY, SC (WBTW) – Eleven people have been arrested after the Marion County Combined Drug Unit served several search warrants and conducted an investigation into reported hemp theft.
On Tuesday, the unit executed a search warrant on Lake Street in Mullins after an investigation and complaints from residents, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said. Shaheed Hamilton, 37, of Mullins, was arrested and charged.
A search warrant was executed by the united on Valentine Street in Mullins on September 19, according to the MCSO. Harold Young, 35, of Mullins, and Sharita Swinton, 35, of Maryland were arrested and charged. The following items were seized during this search:
- cocaine
- heroin
- prescription drugs
- marijuana
- firearms
- currency
- drug paraphernalia
On September 18, a search warrant was conducted at a home on Leroy Bethea Road in Mullins. Cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana and prescription drugs were seized. Three people were arrested and charged:
- Jeffrey McFarland, 36, of Mullins
- Jonathan Jenkins, 25, of Mullins
- Kathy McFarland, 53, of Mullins
Quadri Kirton, 32, of Sellers, was arrested and charged on September 12 “following an investigation and many complaints from a local business.”
“After receiving complaints, Marion County Combined Drug Unit recently conducted an investigation into the theft of Hemp,” the MCSO said. Four people were arrested and charged:
- Omar Tucker, 23, of Mullins
- Matthew Woodberry, 28, of Mullins
- Christopher Royal, 21, of Marion
- Donnie Roberts, 61, of Galivants Ferry
“Also from the videos, Marion County Drug Unit is actively attempting to identify other subjects that committed trespassing and damage of a farm product,” the MCSO also said.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Marion Police Department, Mullins Police Department, and South Carolina Department of Natural Resources helped the Marion County Combined Drug Unit.
The MCSO released the following statement from Sheriff Brian Wallace:
“We have been very busy lately. This summer and especially in the past few weeks we have worked tirelessly to rid our community of nuisance drug dealers. We have had the pleasure of reacquainting ourselves with some of our past offenders as we had the opportunity to execute a search warrant on a residence for the third time in the past few years. If they won’t stop, we won’t stop. These repeat offenders have not learned from their prior experiences so I find it our duty to keep educating them on the perils of drug dealing until they either learn or decide to move out of our county. We will not rest until we remove the drugs and drug dealers from Marion County. On a lighter note, my drug agents and deputies have made several arrests lately on criminals who are trespassing on our farmers’ properties and stealing Hemp. I am not saying stealing is a lighter situation. I am saying it is foolish for these individuals to believe they can steal an agriculture product and smoke it to get high. Hemp may look and smell like the marijuana that they covet but unfortunately for them it does not contain enough of the active chemical (THC) to achieve a high. I recommend to these folks that feel trespassing and stealing are a good idea to avoid any chance of arrest and stay in their own back yard and smoke some dandelions because you achieve the same high. Farmers are the backbone of our economic community and will we continue to protect them and their crops.”
Marion County Sheriff Brian Wallace
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