Jarman Lamar White, 38, from Rock Hill, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams of fentanyl and quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine.
Investigators found that White was involved in selling drugs obtained from members of the Darryl Hemphill drug organization. Agents discovered that some of these drugs included pills designed to look like oxycodone 30 mg tablets, known generically as Roxicodone. These counterfeit pills were produced by the organization and contained fentanyl. The manufacturing took place at locations in Rock Hill and Charlotte.
During the investigation, law enforcement intercepted phone calls between White and other members of the organization. In these calls, White was heard acquiring cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl from others involved. Agents also learned that White allowed the group to use his girlfriend’s basement in Rock Hill to set up several pill press machines for producing fentanyl-laced pills. Surveillance observed White and others moving pill press machines into the basement. He permitted multiple members of the operation to store and operate these machines at the residence. On one occasion, about 50,000 fentanyl-laced pills were made there in a single day. In exchange for using his residence, White received both fentanyl-laced pills and thousands of dollars.
When White was arrested in June 2018, agents executed a search warrant at the residence. They found multiple pill press machines, a pill binder, masks and respirators, an industrial mixing machine, and a 9mm pistol inside a backpack belonging to White.
After other members of the organization were arrested, agents with the York County Multijurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit conducted three controlled purchases of fentanyl pills from White. These operations showed that he continued conspiring with others to distribute fentanyl-laced pills after his initial arrest.
White faces a maximum sentence of life in federal prison as well as a fine up to $20 million, restitution payments, and ten years of supervision following imprisonment. United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis accepted his guilty plea; sentencing will occur after review of a report by the U.S. Probation Office.
The prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation aimed at disrupting major drug traffickers through coordinated efforts among federal, state, and local agencies. More information about OCDETF can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The case was investigated by several agencies including the FBI Columbia Field Office; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; York County Multijurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit; South Carolina Law Enforcement Division; and Richland County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney William K. Witherspoon is prosecuting the case.
