Meth and fentanyl convictions earn South Carolina man 10-year sentence
CONWAY, SC — A 33-year-old Myrtle Beach man was sentenced Wednesday to a decade in state prison after pleading guilty to multiple drug distribution charges connected to two separate arrests involving methamphetamine and fentanyl.
Daniel Vargas entered a guilty plea in Horry County Circuit Court to second-offense possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and first-offense possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. His trial had been scheduled to begin next week.
Circuit Court Judge David P. Caraker sentenced Vargas to 10 years on each charge, with the sentences to run concurrently. The methamphetamine charge, classified as a serious offense in South Carolina, will count as a “strike” under the state’s three-strike law targeting repeat offenders.
Vargas was first arrested on December 24 after officers with the Myrtle Beach Police Department attempted a traffic stop that led to a brief pursuit. Following the stop, he was charged with possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute.
He was later arrested again on May 8 following an investigation led by the Horry County Police Department’s Narcotics and Vice unit. Detectives executed a search warrant at Vargas’ residence, where they found more than 400 grams of methamphetamine.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant Solicitor David Beamer of the 15th Circuit Solicitor’s Office. Law enforcement officers involved in both incidents were recognized for their role in disrupting ongoing narcotics distribution in the Myrtle Beach area.
Vargas will serve his sentence in the South Carolina Department of Corrections and will receive credit for time already served.
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Key Points
- Daniel Vargas, 33, of Myrtle Beach, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to drug distribution charges
- Two arrests led to the charges: one involving fentanyl after a car chase in December and another involving 400 grams of meth in May
- The meth charge qualifies as a “strike” under South Carolina’s repeat offender law