For their roles in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, three Lancaster men received sentences totaling 27 years in federal prison.
Ricky Shane Underwood, 43; John Matthew Railey, 36; and Tyre Amahdikeem Brooks, 23 all entered guilty pleas to drug trafficking charges.
Court documents show that starting in January 2020, the three of them plotted to distribute methamphetamine in the Lancaster region. The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office’s narcotics investigators made two controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Brooks in June 2020. When Brooks was arrested the next month on unresolved state narcotics trafficking warrants, he was discovered in possession of methamphetamine in large amounts, a loaded AR-15 style assault weapon, and a 9mm pistol with an extended magazine. Brooks was also charged with unlawful drug possession and handgun possession in Rock Hill in 2022.
During a domestic incident in January 2021, Railey was discovered in possession of over one ounce of methamphetamine that was 99 percent pure. In an undercover operation the following month, he sold methamphetamine to Lancaster County narcotics officers.
Investigators purchased methamphetamine under control from Underwood in February 2021. After attempting to escape during a traffic stop later that month, Underwood was taken into custody. When his car was searched, a loaded 9mm handgun and a large amount of methamphetamine were found.
Brooks received a 10-year prison sentence, Railey received a 9-year sentence, and Underwood received an 8-year sentence from U.S. District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis. After being released, each will also be subject to a period of court-mandated supervision. The federal system does not have parole.
The Rock Hill Police Department, the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office, and the Department of Homeland Security all looked into this issue. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys William K. Witherspoon and Christopher D. Taylor.
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