COLUMBIA, SC (WBTW) – United States Attorney Beth Drake announced Thursday that Tavares Lamore Wingate, 33, of Hartsville, will face prison time after he sold cocaine to an undercover officer.
Wingate was charged with conspiracy to possession with intent to distribute and distribution of a quantity of cocaine and a quantity of cocaine base, the press release said. Judge Bruce H. Hendricks of Charleston sentenced Wingate to 95 months in federal prison.
Evidence presented at Wingate’s hearing established that he and others in the Pee Dee were subjects in an ongoing drug distribution conspiracy investigation conducted by the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI.
As part of that investigation, in June 2015, agents arranged a controlled buy of cocaine and cocaine base from Wingate and a co-conspirator.
The case was investigated by the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI in cooperation with the Pee Dee Violent Crimes Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Christopher D. Taylor of the Florence office prosecuted the case.