Columbia Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Conspiracy Involving Murder

COLUMBIA, SC—United States Attorney Bill Nettles stated today that Wayne L. Mobley, a/k/a “Chicken Wing,” age 23, of Columbia, South Carolina, pled guilty in federal court to conspiracy to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and more than 280 grams of “crack” cocaine, a violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(A) and 846 . United States District Judge Joseph F. Anderson, Jr., of Columbia, accepted the plea and will impose sentence after he has reviewed the presentence report, which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.

Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that from 2005 to the present, Mobley sold cocaine and crack cocaine in and around the Columbia area. In 2010, he was involved in a robbery of his drug suppliers that resulted in the shooting death of one man and the injuring of another. Mr. Nettles stated that Mobley faces a maximum of life imprisonment and/or a fine of $250,000.

The case was investigated by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Richland County Sheriff’s Department, and the City of Columbia Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys William Witherspoon and Nancy Wicker of the Columbia Office handled the case.