Columbia Man Sentenced to Federal Prison After Police Find Gun and Drugs While Serving Arrest Warrant

COLUMBIA, S.C. -Shiloh Wright, 42, of Columbia, was sentenced to seven years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and crack cocaine and possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking offense.

Evidence presented to the court showed that on Sept. 1, 2022, officers with the City of Columbia Police Department went to a local truck stop to arrest Wright on an outstanding warrant. The officers found Wright driving a vehicle and took him into custody. Officers searched Wright in preparation to take him to the detention center and found plastic baggies containing crack cocaine and cocaine in his underwear. Officers also searched Wright's vehicle and found a digital scale, a black bookbag containing a loaded firearm, fentanyl pills, marijuana, and a debit card belonging to Wright.

Wright has previous convictions for possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, distribution of crack cocaine, resisting arrest, domestic violence, and assault and battery.

United States District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie sentenced Wright to 84 months imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the City of Columbia Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lamar J. Fyall is prosecuting the case.

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