Florence, South Carolina – A month-long undercover narcotics investigation in Florence County came to a head on April 15, when sheriff’s deputies carried out search warrants at two separate Florence properties and made four arrests tied to cocaine and methamphetamine cases.
The larger of the two cases unfolded at a home on South 5th Street, where investigators with the Florence County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Bureau, assisted by the agency’s SWAT team, executed a search warrant after weeks of undercover work.
Read also: Florence traffic stop turns into major narcotics case with two suspects jailed without bond
Authorities said the search of the residence uncovered a significant quantity of cocaine, crack cocaine and methamphetamine, leading to the immediate arrests of three people at the scene.
James Eli Washington Jr., 44, of South 5th Street in Florence, Lanard Antoine Baker, 50, of Pitty Pat Drive in Florence, and Victoria Michell Gregg, 36, of Robin Lane in McBee, were each charged with trafficking in cocaine, trafficking in cocaine base and trafficking in methamphetamine.
All three were taken to the Florence County Detention Center, where they are being held while awaiting bond hearings.
Read also: New generation of Florence professionals gets summer path into leadership and civic life
Officials described the South 5th Street search as the result of sustained investigative work, with narcotics agents spending weeks building the case before moving in.
The arrests marked the culmination of that operation and added another major seizure to the agency’s ongoing drug enforcement efforts in the county.
In a second, separate case also carried out on April 15, investigators executed an unrelated search warrant at a residence on Wingate Avenue in Florence.
Read also: Florence event gives local employers practical tools for leading teams through business growth
During that operation, Tyrone Bruce, 51, was arrested and charged with distribution of cocaine base.
According to narcotics investigators, Bruce is accused of selling crack cocaine to a confidential informant. He was booked into the Florence County Detention Center and is being held on a $15,000 surety bond.
While the two searches were not connected, both cases underscored the Sheriff’s Office’s continued focus on narcotics activity in Florence County.
The April 15 operations resulted in multiple felony trafficking and distribution charges in a single day, reflecting what authorities say is an ongoing effort to target the movement and sale of dangerous drugs in the community.
Read also: Second Chipotle set to expand Florence dining scene with new South Irby Street location
Additional booking details for the defendants are available through the Florence County Sheriff’s Office booking website.
