Lexington, SC 11/02/2021 (Paul Kirby) – A 33-year-old Gaston man was sentenced last Thursday to sentenced to 13 years in prison for trafficking heroin that was laced with the dangerous drug Fentanyl. Heroin and Fentanyl are an extremely deadly combination that has killed hundreds across Lexington County and 100’s of thousands across the USA. Trafficking heroin is classified as a violent and serious offense in the State of South Carolina.
According to Eleventh Circuit Solicitor Rick Hubbard’s office, Gilbert Lewis, 33, of Gaston, pled guilty to trafficking heroin on Thursday, October 28, 2021. He entered his pleas before Chief Administrative Judge Walton J. McLeod, IV in Lexington County. Judge McLeod sentenced Lewis to 13 years in prison. Lewis has prior felony convictions for burglary in the 2nd degree in 2017 and attempted armed robbery in 2019.
On September 8, 2020, an investigation conducted by the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department Narcotic Enforcement Team (NET) resulted in the purchase of approximately one half (.50) ounce of heroin from Lewis. The estimated street value of those drugs was $1,400.00 dollars. A drug analysis revealed the substance sold by Lewis amounted to 13.6 grams of heroin mixed with fentanyl.
After the sentencing, Eleventh Circuit Solicitor Rick Hubbard stated, “We have seen tragic results associated with fentanyl ingestion across the state. Our office is committed to prosecuting these cases aggressively and ridding our community of these dangerous narcotics.”
Fentanyl is a highly lethal substance that is sometimes mixed with various illegal narcotics. Law enforcement agencies have determined that fentanyl is frequently found in heroin and counterfeit pills sold by street dealers. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration reports that 2 milligrams of fentanyl can be fatal. The illegal drug trade is especially dangerous because a user has no way of knowing whether the drugs purchased are laced with fentanyl. The number of opiate related fatalities in the State of South Carolina, including Lexington County and Richland County, have significantly increased over the last decade as a result of the illegal sale of these deadly drugs.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant Solicitor Kelly Oppenheimer of the Eleventh Circuit Solicitor’s Office Drug Prosecution Team.
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