United States Drug Enforcement Administration

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — A federal jury convicted Vincent Ellis Wilson, 54, and Ervin Lee Smith, 50, both of Fort Pierce, Florida, of conspiring to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine and a quantity of crack cocaine after a two-day trial in Florence.

Evidence introduced at trial showed that during the evening hours of Feb. 25, 2021, Wilson and Smith checked in to an oceanfront hotel in Myrtle Beach.  Wilson and Smith are both from Florida and they would later tell police that they were simply “passing through” Myrtle Beach when they had car trouble that required them to put their truck in a shop in Myrtle Beach.  That night, however, they met with a local individual who agreed to serve as a middleman to help Wilson and Smith sell more than a half kilogram of cocaine and a small quantity of crack cocaine they had brought with them to South Carolina.  The next morning, before the drug deal could be done, Wilson and Smith left their room to go to breakfast at a nearby restaurant.  While they were gone, hotel staff, believing the room had been vacated, went in to clean the room and stumbled upon a grocery bag containing more than $30,000 worth of drugs in a dresser drawer.  The hotel contacted Myrtle Beach Police who responded and collected the illicit substances.  Later that morning, Wilson and Smith returned to the hotel to attempt to collect their belongs, including the drugs.  Police interviewed them and they were released pending further investigation. 

Through an ongoing partnership between the Myrtle Beach Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration, authorities were later able to connect this drug seizure to a much larger drug trafficking organization that was already under federal investigation.  Once that connection was made, Wilson and Smith were charged by a federal grand jury with being suppliers to the drug trafficking organization.  All the other defendants in the federal case pled guilty. Wilson and Smith denied their involvement, but were convicted after the jury heard the evidence of their involvement.

Court records show that Wilson has a prior state conviction for possession with intent to distribute narcotics in Maryland from 2003, and Smith has a prior federal conviction for possession with intent to distribute cocaine from 2004.  U.S. District Judge Sherri A. Lydon presided over their trial and will sentence the two after reviewing a presentence report from the U.S. Probation Office.  They each face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and may be sentenced up to the 40-year maximum.  

“This case represents the continued commitment of the DEA to identify and hold accountable those who engage in the distribution of dangerous drugs,” said Jae W. Chung, the Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “Keeping our communities safe is our highest priority.” 

"These defendants brought a significant quantity of cocaine and crack cocaine into South Carolina, intending to profit from its distribution,” said U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling for the District of South Carolina. “Thanks to the diligent work of the Myrtle Beach Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration, what started as a hotel cleaning led to the dismantling of a larger drug trafficking operation. This conviction underscores our unwavering commitment to prosecuting individuals who bring dangerous narcotics into our communities." 

"The Myrtle Beach Police Department is fortunate to work with partners and community members to assist us holding those accountable who bring poison into our community,” said Myrtle Beach Police Chief Amy Prock. “Our mission has not and will not change, the safety of our community will always be our priority."

This prosecution is 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.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Myrtle Beach Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Everett McMillian and Department of Justice Trial Attorney Jasmin Salehi Fashami prosecuted the case in close coordination with the 15th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.