Press Release
Jury Finds Defendant Guilty in Interstate Drug Conspiracy
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of South Carolina
Defendant faces 5 to 40 years after traffic stop uncovered ½ kilogram of cocaine in his center console
FLORENCE, SOUTH CAROLINA —Brodus Bernard Gregg, 68, of Conway, South Carolina, was convicted following a two-day jury trial in federal court for participating in an interstate cocaine trafficking conspiracy that operated for several years in the Pee Dee.
“Brodus Gregg and his co-conspirators brought large quantities of cocaine from other states into South Carolina, and a jury has now held him accountable for his conduct,” said U.S. Attorney Corey F. Ellis. “We are grateful to the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office for their work in disrupting and dismantling this criminal enterprise. Alongside our federal, state, and local partners, we will continue to prioritize the prosecution of those who profit off the lethal drugs they pedal into our communities.”
“The mission of DEA is unwavering--we relentlessly pursue drug traffickers who distribute dangerous drugs like cocaine in our communities,” said Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “These drugs cause immeasurable damage. DEA and its law enforcement partners are committed to protecting and serving these communities.”
“We are so appreciative of the partnerships that we have with State and Federal agencies which resulted in a conviction for this case. We are grateful to the deputies who initiated this investigation and for their exceptional work,” said Aiken County Sheriff Michael Hunt. “We will continue to do what we can to stop the distribution of illegal narcotics by working with our law enforcement partners and our community.”
Evidence presented by the Government at trial established that beginning around 2015, several drug dealers in the Conway and Myrtle Beach area began paying Gregg between $1,000 and $1,500 to pick up kilogram-quantities of cocaine and heroin from sources of supply in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and Atlanta, Georgia, and drive the drugs back to South Carolina, where they were broken down for further distribution.
The existence of the conspiracy came to light during a court-authorized wiretap conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration during the summer of 2020, which intercepted communications from three target telephones that were in contact with dozens of drug dealers in the Pee Dee. Further investigation into the inner workings of the criminal enterprise led agents to piece together that Gregg had previously been caught during a traffic stop carrying ½ kilogram of cocaine from Atlanta to Conway while on a drug resupply run for the organization.
The evidence showed that on October 9, 2019, at 8:19 p.m., two deputies from the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office Interdiction Unit stopped Gregg on the shoulder of Interstate 20 near Aiken based on a window tint violation. The dash and body cameras from the stop showed that upon entering the Gregg’s identifying information into a car-mounted computer, deputies learned that he had an outstanding warrant for an unrelated crime from Georgetown County. Deputies also walked a drug detection canine around Gregg’s vehicle during the stop, and the canine indicated a positive alert for narcotics.
When deputies attempted to detain Gregg to search his vehicle, he ran and tried to reenter his vehicle to flee. A roadside struggle ensued for more than five minutes as dozens of passenger vehicles and commercial trucks zoomed past them at highway speeds less than five feet away. During this scuffle, the video captured Gregg telling the deputies that they will “have to kill him” to detain him.
After Gregg was detained, the deputies searched his vehicle and located 500.9 grams of cocaine. After being checked out by EMS roadside, Gregg admitted that he was delivering the cocaine from an individual in Atlanta to another individual in Conway. In the months that followed, he also admitted his role in the drug trafficking conspiracy to DEA agents.
At trial, Gregg testified that he did not know what he was transporting, and that he thought on an earlier occasion he had transported beauty supplies for a co-conspirator’s wife’s beauty salon. He stated that he fought the deputies because he felt intimidated during the traffic stop and accused agents of lying about the statements he gave during his interviews. Several other members of the conspiracy who had previously pled guilty testified as witnesses. They each said that Gregg knew that he was transporting cocaine, and that he had been doing so for them for several years. They said the ½ kilogram of cocaine Gregg was transporting was worth approximately $25,000.
The jury quickly returned a verdict of guilty.
United States District Judge Sherri A. Lydon presided over the trial and will sentence Gregg after receiving and reviewing a pre-sentence report that will be prepared by the United States Probation Office. Gregg faces a penalty of 5 to 40 years in federal prison and a fine of $1,000,000. He also faces at least four years of court-ordered supervision after prison.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Everett McMillian, Lead Task Force Attorney for the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), and Katie Stoughton, who serves as the Chief of the Office’s Appellate Division, prosecuted the case. 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.
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Contact
Derek A. Shoemake (843) 813-0982
Updated July 14, 2022
Topic
Drug Trafficking
Component