Sheriff Fred Knight announced on Monday the guilty plea and sentencing of 12 defendants in the latest Federal Drug Conspiracy case in Marlboro County named Operation State Line.

The latest busted in the long history of these operations includes men with nicknames of Pac Man, Cricket and Macaroni — among others, Knight said.

This investigation has been ongoing since 2009 and was investigated primarily by the MCSO, FBI and McColl Police Dept.

In April 2014, these 12 defendants were indicted by a Federal Grand Jury for Drug Conspiracy and they were taken into custody May 2014.

The indictment charges that in or around 1995 and continuing thereafter and up to and including the date of the indictment, that in the District of South Carolina and elsewhere, that the defendants did knowingly, intentionally and did conspire, combine and agree and had a tacit understanding with each other’s and others unknown to the Grand Jury, to possess with intent to distribute and did distribute cocaine and cocaine base (crack cocaine) and this totaled more than 280 grams of a mixture and substance containing cocaine base and 5 kilograms or more of a mixture and substance containing cocaine, Knight said in a press release.

With the assistance of numerous agencies, all defendants were taken into custody in a matter of just a few hours and were spread among 4 counties and 2 states.

All of these defendants below have prior criminal records including multiple felony drug convictions, Knight said.

This investigation involves incidents over a number of years that includes undercover drug buys, search warrants, robberies and various other methods of investigation.

This case will be prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office in Florence SC. This case and investigation was instrumental in gathering information and intelligence on other dealers, robberies, conspiracies, homicides ( in NC and SC) and other violent crime.

The following defendants plead guilty at various times in the last few months and all have been sentenced as follows:

1. Aloysius Jamego Ber Mclaughlin, (168 months and supervised release) 28 years old of North Hooper St Maxton NC. (arrested in Maxton) AKA Loc

2. Quincy Lamont Campbell, (156 months and supervised release) 33 years old of Karen Circle Bennettsville SC (arrested in Greensboro NC)

3. Charles Edward Graham, (168 months and supervised release)36 years old of McColl SC (arrested in Dillon SC) AKA Chuck

4. Michael Evans Pate aka Cricket, (96 months and supervised release) 45 years old of Parker Ave McColl SC (arrested in McColl SC)

5. Phillip Antonio Fair aka Big Phil, (120 months and supervised release) 37 years old of Curly Lane Bennettsville SC (arrested in Hamlet NC)

6. Jeffrey Patrick Harrington, (120 months and supervised release) aka Pac Man, 32 years old of Arcadia Drive Apts McColl SC (arrested in McColl)

7. Jerrod Devaughn Moore, (144 months and supervised release) aka Big Pun, 28 years old of Family Farm Rd McColl SC (arrested in Bennettsville SC)

8. Larry Williams aka Pop aka P, (168 months and supervised release) 33 years old of Airbase Rd Wagram NC (arrested in Laurinburg NC)

9. Martin Jevon Mcinnis, aka Macaroni, (216 months and supervised release) 27 years old of Kernersville NC and Clio SC (arrested in Kernersville NC)

10. Derrick Christopher Pate, (144 months and supervised release) aka DP, 32 years old of Eagles Pass Drive Taylors SC (arrested in Taylors SC)

11. Reginald Mckinnon, aka Big Reg, (180 months and supervised release) 37 years old of Sanders Rd Laurinburg NC (arrested at home)

12. Jermal Mckinnon, aka Mal (120 months and supervised release)

 “This is probably the 10th case like this we have done in the past few years involving drugs and some have included more violent crime and gangs. I cannot warn drug dealers enough about the consequences of drug dealing,” Knight said.

“The Federal system has mandatory sentencing guidelines that are driven by these defendants’ prior records. This group has sold and distributed a lot of drugs over the years in this county and across the State Line into NC. I hope this sends a message again about selling drugs in this area.”

If anyone has any information about drug sales, please call and your information will be kept confidential, the sheriff added.

Our partnership with the FBI and US Attorney’s office is an asset to this county and its safety.

The next case of drug dealers in and around Marlboro County is being assembled now with assistance of the FBI and US Attorney’s Office.