Conway Drug Supplier Sentenced to More Than 11 Years in Federal Prison
FLORENCE, SOUTH CAROLINA — Kimo Takarra Felton, 42, of Conway, was sentenced this week to more than 11 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a member of a 35-member conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.
Evidence presented at the sentencing hearing reflects that between 2017 and 2020, Felton supplied other drug dealers in the Myrtle Beach area with various quantities of cocaine totaling more than 50 kilograms. Felton’s participation in this conspiracy came to light when he was intercepted during a wiretap investigation conducted during the summer of 2020. In August 2020, agents subsequently intercepted a shipment of half a kilogram of cocaine that Felton had just sent to another drug dealer by way of a courier. When Felton was arrested by federal authorities on December 1, 2020, he answered the door with a Draco 7.62 caliber assault rifle and several other firearms were found inside his residence, a location where he had met others during the course of the conspiracy. Despite his lack of any prior felony convictions, Felton received a lengthy sentence based on the significant quantity of drugs he distributed and his possession of firearms during the offense.
United States District Judge Sherri A. Lydon sentenced Felton to 135 months in federal prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. Felton has been in custody since his December 2020 arrest. There is no parole in the federal system.
This operation was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Agents of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Florence Resident Office quarterbacked this large-scale, long-term investigation with significant participation from the following agencies: Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), United States Marshal Service, Myrtle Beach Police Department, Horry County Police Department, North Myrtle Beach Police Department, Florence County Sheriff’s Office, Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office, 15th Circuit Drug Enforcement Unit, Conway Police Department, and Horry County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Everett McMillian, Lead Attorney for the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), prosecuted the case with support from the 15thth Circuit Solicitor’s Office.
The DEA encourages parents, along with their children, to educate themselves about the dangers of legal and illegal drugs by visiting DEA’s interactive websites at www.JustThinkTwice.com, www.GetSmartAboutDrugs.com, www.CampusDrugPrevention.gov, and www.dea.gov . Also follow DEA Atlanta via Twitter at @DEAATLANTADiv
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