Columbia Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Drug and Gun Crimes

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA — Derek Taft Evans, 45, of Columbia, was sentenced to 1o years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine and fentanyl and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. 

Evidence presented to the Court showed that on June 15, 2020, a Richland County Sheriff’s Deputy stopped a Chrysler 200 driven by Evans for speeding. In a subsequent search of the Chrysler, law enforcement recovered a loaded Smith and Wesson 9mm handgun, approximately 36 grams of crack cocaine and 3.8 grams of fentanyl from the Chrysler’s center console. Additional investigation showed Evans was involved in trafficking multiple controlled substances, including heroin, crack cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl.

United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Evans to 120 months imprisonment, to be followed by a four-year term of court-ordered supervision.  There is no parole in the federal system.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

This case was investigated by Richland County Sheriff’s Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Flynn prosecuted the case.

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