Greenville County Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit
A nine-month investigation led to the dismantling of a heroin/fentanyl trafficking supplier operating in Mauldin on Wednesday.
DEU investigators opened an investigation on Defavry Gantt, age 45, after learning he continued to operate a drug distribution ring after being released on bond for an earlier Trafficking in Heroin charge from May 2019.
Todd Michael Smith, 19, was also arrested for trafficking in heroin.
During the investigation, investigators observed Gantt meeting with individuals and conducting hand-to-hand transactions of drugs. Investigators were able to secure a search warrant for the Simpsonville residence of Gantt.
Wednesday, investigators served the search warrant on Gantt’s residence resulting in the finding of more than five ounces of heroin and a large sum of U.S. currency as well as a homemade drug press and several pounds of binding agents.
It’s the second significant drug bust in the area in the past month. On June 23 A search warrant was served at a residence in Simpsonville to dismantle a large and complex fentanyl/methamphetamine pill operation.
“The purpose of the creation of the DEU is to address the proliferation of dangerous drugs in our communities. This recent example demonstrates the effectiveness of the unit,” stated Mauldin Police Chief Bryan Turner. “The Mauldin Police Department assigned an officer to the unit to join forces and combat the scourge and destruction of drug sales especially those effecting the Mauldin community.
“Removing a major heroin trafficker from the community will have an effect on the availability of heroin in my community. I take it personally every time my officers must respond to an overdose victim from these drugs and today’s actions will have an impact,” stated Turner.
“Today’s arrests are a continuation of the vigilance and commitment investigators assigned to the DEU have for protecting our communities,” said Commander Bart McEntire, Greenville County Multi-Jurisdictional DEU.
“Again, we find another major trafficker not only dealing drugs but utilizing a homemade pill press to combine heroin and other mixtures to press fentanyl and heroin combinations for sale to drug users” said McEntire. “This newest press found now brings us to eight drug presses since the first of the year being used to create deadly mixtures of drugs that have an unknown potency level leading to overdoses.”
“(Five) ounces of fentanyl/heroin is a significant seizure. This seizure alone, at a minimum, prevented 700 uses of the drug from ever being ingested by persons addicted to these deadly combinations” McEntire said.