Lancaster County drug raid finds ‘arsenal’ of guns, 5 pounds of fentanyl and meth
A South Carolina man faces drug trafficking and weapons charges after federal agents seized more than 5 pounds of fentanyl and methamphetamine, other drugs and guns in a SWAT raid at a Lancaster home, officials said.
Travis Rashod Laney, 36, of Lancaster, is charged with 13 drug and weapons offenses after the DEA, State Law Enforcement Division and Lancaster deputies searched a Windy Hill Lane house last week, according to Lancaster County Sheriff Barry Faile.
Police found drugs that included hallucinogenic ketamine, marijuana, cocaine and crack after a weeks-long undercover probe into drug deals, Faile announced Tuesday.
Officers seized almost $7,000 in cash, digital scales, and a dozen guns that included a military rifle, Faile said. Faile described the amount of guns as “an arsenal.”
The fentanyl and meth trafficking charges for the amount seized, 2 pounds of each, carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years for a conviction under tougher South Carolina laws enacted in 2023.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is approximately 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine, according to federal officials. The DEA says fentanyl is inexpensive, widely available, highly addictive and lethal. Local and regional officials around Charlotte have said the drug is responsible for a surge in overdoses.
Meth is a powerful, highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Laney remains at the Lancaster County jail after bond was denied in his first court appearance, records show.
