A South Carolina prison inmate was sentenced Monday to nearly 22 years in federal prison after prosecutors proved he ran a drug trafficking operation from inside the South Carolina Department of Corrections, using a contraband cell phone and drones to keep his network supplied and funded.
Samual Earl Ramu, 34, of Johnsonville, was ordered to serve 262 months in federal prison after being convicted of conspiring to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine while incarcerated. The sentence will be followed by five years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
Court evidence showed Ramu led a drug trafficking organization from inside prison, directing others on the outside to carry out transactions on his behalf through a contraband cell phone. He also attempted to use drones to drop contraband over prison walls.
In total, Ramu was held accountable for conspiring to distribute 15 kilograms of methamphetamine, along with quantities of fentanyl and marijuana.
Ramu had prior convictions for several drug trafficking offenses and was already serving a 15-year state sentence for possession with intent to distribute heroin and trafficking methamphetamine when the federal offenses were committed.
U.S. Attorney Bryan P. Stirling praised the cooperation between agencies that brought the case to a close. “The use of contraband cell phones and drones to advance criminal activity will continue to be met with the full force of federal investigation and prosecution in South Carolina,” Stirling said.
Mark M. Zito, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations for North Carolina and South Carolina, said the case demonstrated that geography offers no protection to drug traffickers. “Drug traffickers who threaten our communities with deadly substances like fentanyl and methamphetamine cannot hide from Homeland Security Investigations, even behind prison walls,” Zito said.
The case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, the Florence County Sheriff’s Office, and the South Carolina Department of Corrections. Assistant U.S. Attorney Everett McMillian is prosecuting.
