A Rock Hill man, Jacquese Traveon Underwood, has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for his role in a drug conspiracy involving methamphetamine and fentanyl. At the time of the conspiracy, Underwood was serving a sentence for drug trafficking in the South Carolina Department of Corrections.
Federal authorities say that Underwood arranged the purchase and distribution of narcotics while incarcerated. The drugs included cocaine, methamphetamine, and pills containing fentanyl that resembled Oxycodone or Roxicodone. According to investigators, these pills were produced by Darryl Hemphill and others at locations around Rock Hill and Charlotte. Hemphill led the organization supplying Underwood with drugs during his incarceration.
Agents discovered Underwood’s involvement through monitored phone calls with Hemphill and statements from others involved. They found that Underwood helped teach Hemphill how to order, ship, and receive narcotics from Southern California. Associates outside the prison facility worked with Underwood to obtain drugs from Hemphill in Rock Hill and distribute them further.
Authorities determined that while in prison, Underwood received at least 1,000 fentanyl-based pills, more than 700 grams of methamphetamine, and about 312 grams of cocaine from Hemphill.
United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Underwood to 121 months imprisonment followed by four years of supervised release. Federal sentencing does not allow for parole.
The investigation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF aims to disrupt high-level drug traffickers using coordinated efforts among federal, state, and local agencies. More details on OCDETF’s work are available at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The case was investigated by several agencies: the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Drug Enforcement Administration; York County Multijurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit; South Carolina Law Enforcement Division; Richland County Sheriff’s Department; and South Carolina Department of Corrections. Assistant U.S. Attorney William K. Witherspoon is prosecuting the case.
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