Columbia man sentenced 10 years on drug, firearm charges

A Columbia man was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to carrying a firearm and possession of crack cocaine and fentanyl with intent to distribute.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO)— A Columbia man was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to carrying a firearm and possession of crack cocaine and fentanyl with intent to distribute.

According to authorities, Derek Taft Evans, 45, was stopped for speeding by a Richland County Sheriff’s Deputy and searched on June 15, 2020.

A loaded handgun, approximately 36 grams of cocaine and 3.8 grams of fentanyl were found in the vehicle’s center console.

Evans was also involved in trafficking heroin, crack cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl, say investigators.

United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Evans to 120 months imprisonment, and a four-year term of court-ordered supervision.