Source: United States Attorneys General
Headline: West Columbia Man Pleads to Federal Drug Charge
Columbia, South Carolina —- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated that Harry Lee Goodwin, age 44, of West Columbia, pled guilty today in federal court to possessing heroin and “crack” cocaine with intent to distribute, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C). United States District Judge J. Michelle Childs, of Columbia, accepted the guilty plea and will impose sentence after she has reviewed the presentence report, which will be prepared by the United States Probation Office.
Evidence presented in court established that in April 2017, a confidential informant, acting under the supervision and direction of West Columbia Police Department agents, made three controlled buys of heroin from Mr. Goodwin at his home on Augusta Street.
As a result of the controlled buys, agents executed a search warrant at the home on April 13, 2017. Agents seized approximately $1500 in cash, including a $20 bill used in one of the earlier controlled purchases. Agents also recovered eight (8) foil packages containing heroin, as well as a small amount of “crack” cocaine, digital scales, and other drug paraphernalia.
Goodwin admitted to agents that he sold approximately 30 – 40 bags of heroin each day, between 6 a.m. and noon, and made between $1200- $1500 each day. After noon, he then went to Columbia to continue selling drugs from another location.
Goodwin faces a maximum of 20 years, a fine of $1,000,000, and at least 3 years of supervised release.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the West Columbia Police Department and was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project CeaseFire initiative, which aggressively prosecutes firearm cases. Assistant United States Attorney Nancy C. Wicker of the Columbia office handled the case.
Project Ceasefire is South Carolina’s continued application of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority. In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.
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