Thirty-six people have been charged in a federal case alleging a Mexico-based drug trafficking and money laundering organization that supplied drugs to South Carolina. Prosecutors said the investigation led the DEA to seize 346 kilograms of fentanyl, 70 kilograms of cocaine and 23 kilograms of methamphetamine, along with 34 pounds of marijuana. Authorities also seized 43 firearms and more than $2.8 million. Investigators secured notices tied to 17 properties in South Carolina and Georgia, with an estimated combined value of nearly $4 million. They also recovered jewelry and 15 luxury vehicles, including two Rolls-Royces, a Lamborghini and an Aston Martin. The alleged distribution network operated in South Carolina since at least 2011 and supplied the state with hundreds of kilograms of fentanyl and cocaine since at least 2021, prosecutors said. The drugs originated in Mexico and were transported across the U.S. southern border, before being repackaged and redistributed to regions including the Lowcountry, Pee Dee, Grand Strand and Midlands. Nine of the charged defendants were described as being in the country illegally. Six defendants have pleaded guilty. The Justice Department said the case involves federal work through the Homeland Security Task Force. The DEA, Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI’s Columbia field office, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and numerous local and state agencies investigated. An indictment in April charged 18 people. A 42-count superseding indictment unsealed in November charged 16 more, while two people were charged in a separate indictment in July 2025. The latest development is that the 36 people have been charged, while the investigation and prosecution are being handled by assistant U.S. attorneys Mike O’Mara and Cole Shannon.