Arrests made in Heroin and Meth Enterprise

Six people have been arrested in drug trafficking enterprise that stretched from Upstate to Low Country in South Carolina. U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina Bill Nettles; acting Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Division of the DEA John S. Comer; SLED Chief Mark Keel, and Charleston Police Chief Gregory Mullen announce that the defendants allegedly conspired to distribute more than 100 grams of heroin and more than 500 grams of methamphetamine in South Carolina and elsewhere. The defendants are Valentino Gonzalez a/k/a Piojo, who was arrested in Spartanburg County, on Dec. 8, John Wayne Whitaker, who was arrested in Pickens County on Dec. 8, Juan Enrique Rodriguez, arrested in the custody of the South Carolina Department of Corrections on Dec. 16, Alfred Adams, Jr., who was arrested in Orangeburg County on Dec. 20, Maxine Adams, arrested in Charleston County on Dec. 22 and Cynthia Adams, who was arrested in Cobb County, GA on Dec. 22. Over 6,000 grams of methamphetamine and over 350 grams of heroin were seized in the investigation. Approximately $25,000 in alleged drug proceeds were also seized. The indictment resulted from an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation involving DEA Charleston Task Force, DEA Greenville Resident Office, SLED, Charleston Police Department, South Carolina Highway Patrol, Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office, and Anderson County Sheriff’s Office. “These arrests are the result of extensive coordination and investigation between federal, state and local law enforcement officials. Through their hard work, we have been able to remove significant quantities of drugs from the streets and apprehend a number of individuals involved in bringing those drugs into our district,” said United States Attorney Bill Nettles. The charges contained in these indictments are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.