“Promoter” defendants make court appearances

Lawyers from the state Attorney’s General Office in Columbia occupied the prosecution table yesterday afternoon in the Oconee General Sessions Court.  They called cases of defendants in what’s been called the “Promoter” anti-drug operation.  Some of the defendants yesterday entered guilty pleas and heard their sentences.  Others, however, saw their sentences deferred at the request of prosecutor Fernandez.  In one case, Fernandez was heard to have told Judge Sprouse the reason was to allow the defendant “to get his affairs in order” — a signal that the defendant likely would receive prison time. In 2019, authorities announced the arrests of eight men who they said were part of the group that flooded upstate South Carolina with 61 kilos of cocaine.  At a news conference, Oconee Sheriff Mike Crenshaw said it was an investigation started by his office and the Seneca police two and a half years earlier.  Why the name “Promoter” ascribed the operation, according to Crenshaw, some of the defendants work as promoters in the music industry.