Final Defendant Pleads Guilty in Major Fentanyl Bust in York County
Rock Hill resident admits guilt
Quonzy Lanard Hope, 35, of Rock Hill, is the last of five men charged in York County’s largest-ever fentanyl drug bust to plead guilty, according to federal court records. On Monday, Hope admitted to conspiracy to distribute narcotics before Judge Sherri Lydon in U.S. District Court in Columbia. The conclusion of the case could mean a sentence ranging from 10 years to life in prison for Hope. His charges are linked to the seizure of over 60 pounds of fentanyl and other drugs from a mobile home near Lake Wylie, located between Rock Hill and Charlotte, in October 2022.
A contested seizure
Previously, Hope’s defence attorney had asked Judge Lydon to discard the drug seizure, on the grounds that Hope was a “social guest” at the trailer where the drugs were found. However, Judge Lydon had previously ruled against another defendant who had made a similar assertion that the mobile home was simply a social gathering spot or “man cave”. She referred to significant evidence that solidly positioned the trailer was a drug manufacturing location. As part of the plea deal, two other charges against Hope were dropped.
All five now convicted
With Hope’s guilty plea, all five men associated with the drug bust have now confessed to the drug conspiracy. Earlier, Thomas Anthony Perry, 36, and Javaris Latrey Johnson, 31, both of York County, pleaded guilty in federal court in 2023. This year, in January, Timario Martez Gayton, 32, also of Rock Hill, admitted his own guilt. The U.S. Attorney’s Office confirmed to The Herald that all four defendants are now convicted and face a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Timothy Markee Gayton, the twin brother of Timario Gayton, also pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy in a related case in March, as per court records and prosecutors. Sentencing dates for the men have not yet been scheduled by Judge Lydon.
Massive drug haul worries authorities
In the October 2022 raid, law enforcement officers seized not only fentanyl but also cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, pill presses, firearms, and money from the Lake Wylie-area mobile home. Tony Breeden, the Republican primary winner for York County Sheriff and running unopposed in November, lauded the York County Multijurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit for their significant role in the operation. “This emphasizes the importance of cooperation with local, state and federal partners in combating the drug menace in our community,” he said on Monday.
Following the arrests, police and prosecutors, along with S.C. Senator Lindsey Graham and U.S. Representative Ralph Norman, called a press conference to address the fentanyl crisis that has already resulted in many overdose fatalities. Officials stated that the quantity of fentanyl seized was sufficient to potentially kill over 5 million people, the population of the entire state. Fentanyl is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and has been implicated in overdoses both within the region and across the country, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Enforcement officers warn that fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, is not only cheap and easy to source but also highly addictive and deadly.
