Update
Operation Last Stand: the state grand jury case on a cartel-to-Charleston pipeline
Oct 18, 2026
A state grand jury has indicted 31 defendants on 59 charges in a multi-year case that officials tie to Mexican cartel supply routes and Lowcountry gangs.
On August 24, 2026 Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the results of Operation Last Stand, a multi-agency investigation into narcotics moving from Mexico into the Charleston area. [1]
The numbers
- 59 criminal charges and 31 defendants indicted by a state grand jury [1]
- 33 firearms seized the week before the announcement, including several machine guns [1]
- raids and enforcement actions in South Carolina, Texas, Georgia and Florida [1]
How it began
The case grew out of investigations into unlicensed Lowcountry nightclubs. A February 2026 raid on one in North Charleston led to 86 arrests, 79 of them on immigration grounds. Evidence from that raid opened the wider probe. [1]
What officials allege
SLED Chief Mark Keel said the investigation covers "sex trafficking, firearms trafficking, drug trafficking and gang violence." [1] Wilson said the pipeline brought "hundreds of kilos of cocaine" into South Carolina. [1]
Most counts are conspiracy to traffic 400 grams or more of cocaine. One defendant also faces a charge of possessing contraband in a county jail. [1]
Status
Officials describe the operation as ongoing and say more arrests may follow. [1] The source is local TV reporting of the press conference, graded B. We will add a grade-A record when the indictments are posted.
Related photos & video
AG and SLED announce State Grand Jury cartel pipeline indictments
Local news (YouTube) · Source
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