Jarman Lamar White, 39, of Rock Hill, was sentenced on Mar. 12 to 15 years in federal prison for his role in a large-scale drug conspiracy involving fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine.
The sentencing marks the conclusion of a significant case targeting illegal drug manufacturing and distribution in the Rock Hill and Charlotte area. Authorities said White was responsible for selling drugs obtained from members of the Darryl Hemphill drug organization. The group produced counterfeit pills resembling Roxicodone tablets that were actually laced with fentanyl.
Investigators intercepted phone calls between White and other members of the organization, revealing that he acquired various drugs from them. Agents also discovered that White allowed the organization to use his girlfriend’s basement in Rock Hill to set up pill-press machines used for making fentanyl-laced pills. Surveillance observed White and others moving equipment into the residence, where they manufactured as many as 50,000 pills in a single day. In exchange for using his residence, White received both cash and fentanyl-laced pills.
When agents arrested White in June 2018, they found multiple pill-press machines, an industrial mixing machine, masks and respirators, a pill binder, and a loaded pistol at the property. Even after other members of the organization were arrested, law enforcement conducted controlled purchases from White that showed he continued distributing fentanyl-laced pills.
United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced White to 180 months’ imprisonment followed by ten years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159. The task force focuses on eliminating criminal cartels and transnational organizations operating within the United States. The investigation involved several agencies including the FBI Columbia Field Office, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, York County Multijurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, and Richland County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney William K. Witherspoon prosecuted the case.
