COLUMBIA, SC—United States Attorney Bill Nettles stated that Raheem Majeed, a/k/a “Mitch,” age 30, of Columbia, South Carolina has entered a guilty plea in federal court. Majeed plead guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and 28 grams or more of crack cocaine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 846, 841(a)(1), and 841(b)(1)(B). Senior United States District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie accepted the plea and will impose a sentence after she 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 beginning at least in or around June 2006, and continuing to up and including October 2009, Majeed and others conspired to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute cocaine and crack cocaine in the Columbia, South Carolina area. The indictment stemmed from a large investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in which over 120 defendants were charged following a series of court-authorized, FBI-monitored wiretaps over dozens of telephones in the Columbia area. The evidence showed that Majeed distributed over 500 grams of cocaine and over 28 grams of crack cocaine while a member of this conspiracy. Majeed was charged, along with a number of co-defendants, in 2011 and remained a fugitive until his arrest in 2014.

Mr. Nettles stated that Majeed, who has a prior felony drug conviction from Louisiana for possession with intent to distribute marijuana, faces a statutory mandatory minimum sentence of ten (10) years’ imprisonment with a maximum of life, a fine of $8,000,000, and a term of supervised release of at least eight (8) years following the term of imprisonment.

The case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Violent Gang Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Stacey D. Haynes of the Columbia office handled the case.