CLOVER, S.C. — Members of York County's multi-jurisdictional drug enforcement unit told Channel 9 Thursday that medical marijuana grown for use in California was being shipped to York County. Some of it was in an apartment in Clover, along with highly potent hash oil.
Drug agents said three men were running the drug operation out of the Villas at Marlin Bay apartments in Clover across from Crowder's Creek Elementary School on Highway 274.
Officers watched several drug buys Wednesday night and made arrests for possession after being tipped off. They raided the apartment and found high-grade marijuana, a gun, $3,300 in cash and more than 530 doses of hash oil.
The oil is a highly potent extract with a much higher THC content than marijuana.
"It could be three or even four times as powerful," said York County Drug Agent Mike Ligon.
That's a concern because little is known scientifically about how dangerous it could be or the long-term impact of use.
"You've got 18-year-old and 19-year-old kids that are using this stuff. We don't know how bad the damage could be," Ligon said.
Eyewitness News has previously investigated the rise in hash oil use, butane honey oil in particular, which is made with highly flammable butane gas. Injuries and deaths have been reported from explosions during the making of the drug.
Adam Harris, 24, was the ring leader of the operation, agents said. He lives in California and works for Red Seal Extracts, which grows marijuana for medical use. They said he was having the drugs shipped to York County and he would use the apartment at the Villas at Marlin Bay to sell the drugs.
Austin Highfill, 21, and Justin Lownds, 20, live at the Clover apartment complex and also face possession and distribution charges.
A second drug bust was made in the Lake Wylie Walmart parking where police said Harris made a drug deal after leaving the apartment.
Neighbors like Shon Brown had no idea what was going on there.
"That's not right. You need to think about all the people in this community. You just can't do stuff like that," he said.
Ligon said he's seen a rise in hash oil there but he's never seen so much of it in one place.
He said it would sell for $20 a gram on the street. The suspects stood to make more than $10,000 selling it in York County.
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