Wave of Hampton County overdoses sparks major drug sweep
An ongoing wave of drug overdoses has sparked a major public safety response by law enforcement – a successful drug sweep known as Operation Sparta.
On Tuesday, May 3, the Hampton Police Department, along with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) Fugitive Task Force, capitalized on over a year of police work by netting multiple arrests and drug seizures.
Named after the small town in the movie series, “In the Heat of the Night,” Operation Sparta, which targeted suspects allegedly distributing narcotics in the small town of Hampton, netted six major arrests and multiple secondary arrests, including one suspect who was out on bond for murder charges.
A wave of drug overdoses in the Town of Hampton, and throughout the county, in 2021 sparked this effort to both save lives and get offenders off the streets.
“Due to the number of young lives that we are losing, locally and nationally, we have ramped up our efforts to combat the drug problem and save members of our community,” said Lt. Brad Drawdy, HPD Public Information Officer. “We are committed to the public’s safety.”
The drug overdose problem is so widespread, said HPD narcotics detectives, that during the year-long drug operation, several of the suspects being targeted suffered overdoses, with some of them being fatal. Officers said there have been scores of drug overdoses in the Hampton County community over the past year, with three in one day last week. Some drug users often suffer multiple overdoses over a relatively short period of time.
After an undercover drug operation based on activities within the Town of Hampton, some of the arrests were made in the town limits of Hampton, while others were made within the larger area of Hampton County, and one in Jasper County.
Williston Lamone Owens, 24, of Hampton, was charged with three counts of distributing meth and three counts of distribution near a school. He was out on bond and facing murder charges in the 2019 death of Mack Green, who was shot and killed in a Hampton trailer park off Mulberry Street (behind the Gate’s store), say police.
Cory Jermaine Housey, 31, of Estill, was charged with two counts of distribution of marijuana, two counts of distribution of Schedule II narcotics, one count of distribution of cocaine, two counts of distribution of Schedule II narcotics near a school, one count of distribution of cocaine near a school, and one count of distribution of controlled substances near a school.
Anthony Lawrence Grant, 31, of Hampton, was charged with three counts of distributing meth and three counts of distribution near a school.
Bryan Lee Crews, 44, of the Brunson area, was charged with one count of distributing meth and one count of distribution near a school.
Amber Leigh Blevins, 41, of Hampton, was charged with one count of distributing meth and one count of distribution near a school.
Terri Lynn DeLoach, 40, of Varnville, was charged with one count distribution of cocaine, and one count distribution near a school.
In the process of making these six planned arrests, police also apprehended several secondary suspects for various charges. Among the types of drugs seized in these arrests were meth, heroin, fentanyl, bath salts and “pills galore,” said the HPD.
During the course of one traffic stop, which was part of the operation, officers discovered what they thought was 50 grams of heroin, but after lab testing turned out to be butylone, a psychedelic, and stimulant psychoactive drug that is considered a Schedule I controlled substance.
“One problem now is that drug users don’t know what they are getting,” said Drawdy. “These days everything is laced somehow – even the marijuana is laced with fentanyl.”
“The Hampton Police Department commends its narcotics division for its extensive time, effort and dedication to helping find answers and solutions to the drug overdose issues in our community,” Drawdy added. “This is a strong beginning, but we have so much more work to do. We are dedicated to getting these drugs off the streets and saving people’s lives.”
The HPD also wishes to give a special thanks to the Hampton County Sheriff’s Office, the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office, and the S.C. Department of Natural Resources for apprehending the suspects that were in their jurisdiction.