A federal jury has convicted a 29-year-old Mount Pleasant man on fentanyl trafficking and firearm charges, capping a case that began with a roadside stop in North Charleston more than four years ago. Deandre Malik Horry, also known as “Sosa,” now faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in federal prison after jurors found him guilty of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
The conviction came after a two-day trial in U.S. District Court, according to abcnews4.com. Jurors determined that Horry and others conspired to distribute at least 40 grams of fentanyl to dealers and buyers in the Charleston area from around 2020 through at least July 2022. As WCBD News 2 reported, U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II presided over the trial.
Traffic Stop Uncovered Drugs, Gun and Cash
The case traces back to July 11, 2022, when federal agents watched what they believed was a drug exchange between Horry and a co-conspirator in the Charleston area. A Charleston County sheriff’s deputy then pulled Horry’s vehicle over in North Charleston, according to the same abcnews4.com account.
During that stop, authorities say they recovered 11 grams of fentanyl from Horry’s sock, a loaded Glock handgun from the vehicle’s center console, more than $1,400 in cash, a digital scale and a holster. The report notes those items became central pieces of evidence at trial.
Sentencing Awaits Presentence Report
Horry now faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. Judge Myers will sentence him only after reviewing a presentence investigation report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office, per the same account.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Lowcountry Violent Crimes Task Force, with assistance from several local and state law enforcement agencies, the outlet reported. Prosecutors say Horry was one of 25 defendants charged as part of a broader operation dubbed Operation Trendsetter, a multi-agency effort targeting fentanyl distribution networks in the Lowcountry, according to abcnews4.com’s report.
Fentanyl Cases Continue Across the Region
Federal fentanyl prosecutions have produced stiff sentences elsewhere in South Carolina in recent years. In a separate case, Miquan Xavier Fennick, 27, of Moncks Corner, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for selling fentanyl and other drugs along with a pistol that had an obliterated serial number, according to a Justice Department announcement.
Fentanyl remains classified as a Schedule II controlled substance under federal law, with penalties for trafficking offenses established under separate federal statutes, according to a primer published by the U.S. Sentencing Commission. For now, Horry’s exact sentence remains undetermined pending the presentence report ordered by the court.
