CONWAY, S.C. (WBTW)- United States Attorney Bill Nettles announced last week four Conway men had been indicted apart of a year long undercover drug operation.The undercover operation yielded multiple drug purchases by undercover officers from dealers in the Conway community.
The indictment is part of the “C-S.T.A.N.D.” program launched in Conway in late 2013. The program, an acronym for “Conway—Starting Toward a New Direction” is an application of the Drug Market Intervention program, coordinated by the United States Attorney’s Office and most recently utilized in the Charleston Farms community in North Charleston beginning in 2011.
The initiative is a unified, proactive approach that bands together local, state, and federal law enforcement with community partners in an effort to eradicate open drug dealing in a multiple block area of Conway.
The first phase of the project was the Taylor Square community in Conway. County officials say while it’s a small area, drugs are a big program.
“That’s part of the problem in this Taylor Square area, the open-air drug sales are basically going on daily and nobody could do anything much about it,” 15th Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson said.
Federal and local officials are working 17 cases as a part of the bust. On Wednesday night, 5 of the lower level targets were given the opportunity to join C-S.T.A.N.D or have prosecutors pursue charges.
“We’re giving these people a second chance. We’re giving them the opportunity to start over. Some say they didn’t finish high school, some say they’re having problems getting a job,” Corporal Cassandra Spain with the Conway Police Department said.
In phase 2 of the project, officials will tackle another concentrated area with drug problems in Conway.