Sumter man receives 70-month sentence after pleading guilty to drug trafficking charges, DOJ says

 United States Department of Justice within District of South Carolina sentenced a man to 70 months in federal prison for his involvement in a drug trafficking conspiracy.

Denetrick Devontae Holland, 24, of Sumter was arrested in August 2023 after Sumter County Sheriff’s Office received information about a “stash house” operated by Holland and his co-defendants. The sheriff’s office conducted a series of controlled drug purchases, and Holland was caught on camera during one transaction distributing drugs from the location, according to Department of Justice.

Law enforcement then executed a search warrant at the property and seized large quantities of illegal drugs, including 109 grams of crack cocaine, 45 grams of fentanyl and 415 grams of marijuana as well as digital scales, individual packaging materials, cash, a stolen pistol and a semiautomatic firearm, the department said.

Holland was not present when the search warrant was executed but arrived shortly after, entered the home using his personal key and searched the  home. In a recorded jail call, Holland told a co-defendant that law enforcement had seized everything from the home used to distribute drugs, according to the department.

Holland’s criminal history includes convictions of second-degree assault and battery, possession of marijuana, unlawful carrying of a pistol and third-degree assault and battery, the department said.

United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Holland to 70 months in prison followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system, according to the department.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods,  a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence in an effort to make neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy to strengthen PSN using 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.