Lancaster County Sheriff's Office SC reported on a drug bust that occurred last Friday, involving a 67-year-old Lancaster man, James Edward Hayden. According to the Facebook post by the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office, the arrest was the culmination of an investigation that included two controlled purchases of suspected Cocaine, conducted by the Lancaster County Multijurisdictional Narcotics Task Force at Hayden's home on Connor Street.
During the early morning operation, the Task Force, Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT), and an agent with Homeland Security Investigations executed a search warrant at Hayden's residence, the suspect and another adult male were escorted from the premises while investigators conducted the search; Hayden's mother remained inside but was not implicated in the criminal activity. A knock at the door was answered and in their search, investigators discovered not just Cocaine but also Alprazolam pills, Marijuana, and they confiscated a .22 caliber handgun, this according to the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office post.
Sheriff Barry Faile was quoted, "Thankfully this turned out to be a pretty routine search but still a successful operation," adding, "We found Hayden at home and arrested him on the outstanding warrants, and we also found additional drugs and made more charges." The sheriff noted that citizen complaints and tips substantially aid their operations, expressing appreciation for public assistance in building these cases, according to the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office.
Hayden faced several charges, was transported to the Lancaster County Detention Center, where he was served with two warrants for Distribution of Cocaine and two more for Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine in Proximity to a School or Park, based on the earlier sales, further charges included additional warrants stemming from the search including more counts for drug possession with intent to distribute, during his appearance before a magistrate on Friday afternoon, bonds totaling $50,000.00 were set. The Lancaster County Sheriff's Office urges anyone with information relevant to this or other cases to come forward, providing contact details and platforms for submitting tips, which could be anonymous.
