Five men from the Pee Dee and Grand Strand regions have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in a fentanyl trafficking conspiracy and related gun crimes. The sentences follow guilty pleas entered by each of the individuals involved.

Joshua Rodriguez, aged 33, from Myrtle Beach, received a sentence of 151 months after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. Derrick Adrien Hooks Jr., aged 27, from Chesterfield, was sentenced to 96 months on similar charges. Christopher Brown, aged 32, from Pawleys Island, was sentenced to 84 months for his role in the conspiracy.

Jonathan Thien Ta, aged 32, also from Myrtle Beach, was sentenced to 50 months for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. His federal sentence will run consecutively with a state sentence he is currently serving for other firearms-related offenses. Neil Alexander Torres, also aged 32 and from Myrtle Beach, received an 18-month sentence for similar firearms possession charges.

The sentences imposed on Rodriguez and Brown include five years of court-ordered supervision following imprisonment. Hooks will face four years of supervision post-release. Ta and Torres will each serve three years under supervision once released.

Evidence presented during the trial revealed that Ta and Torres were involved in an incident on November 26, 2020. Officers attempted to arrest Ta at a restaurant in Myrtle Beach when he resisted arrest by reaching for a loaded handgun before passing it to Torres. Both were convicted felons prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.

Further evidence indicated that between 2018 and 2023, Rodriguez, Hooks, and Brown trafficked pressed pills containing fentanyl around Horry County. Fentanyl is known for its high potency even in small doses. Rodriguez distributed approximately 14 kilograms of fentanyl during this period while frequently possessing firearms connected with his drug activities.

On July 1, 2021, law enforcement pursued Hooks during a traffic stop attempt in Horry County where he discarded pills and suspected marijuana while fleeing officers. A subsequent search of his residence uncovered large quantities of drugs alongside weapons and cash. Over time, Hooks was responsible for distributing around 1.6 kilograms of fentanyl.

Brown served as a lower-level distributor within the operation accountable for trafficking approximately 2.7 kilograms over five years. He also had prior incidents involving attempts to evade law enforcement including one high-speed chase in Georgetown County.

U.S District Judge Joseph Dawson III delivered all sentences involved in this case which forms part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation aimed at dismantling significant criminal networks across various jurisdictions through collaborative efforts among different agencies including federal ones such as FBI Columbia Field Office along with local departments like Myrtle Beach Police Department among others involved directly under Assistant U.S Attorney Katherine Flynn's prosecution oversight.

For more information about OCDETF's operations visit: https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF