Fairfield Co. drug operation lands several Mitford residents behind bars

Image: Fairfield Co. Sheriff’s Office

Image: Fairfield Co. Sheriff's Office

Fairfield County, SC (WOLO) — Three men from the Mitford community are behind bars after the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office  conducted a drug operation Wednesday night. The operation helped law enforcement officials obtain drug search warrants authorities say were served at different areas. The locations were determined following an investigation spanning several months specifically focused on the distribution of methamphetamine and fentanyl in and around this area.

As a result, authorities arrested three men and seized more than 22 firearms, ammunition, body armor, various types of drugs and money. Authorities arrested Matthew Costenbader, Brady Barron, and Kalvis “Hank” Ingram have been arrested and each face various charges.

Officials say 40 different law enforcement agencies were involved in the operation including Deputies with the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office, Chester County Sheriff’s Office, Newberry County Sheriff’s Office, and the Kershaw County Sheriff’ Office, along with agents from SC Law Enforcement Division (SLED). A team effort law enforcement agencies say was spurred by neighborhood complaints and a number of overdoses in the same area.

Sheriff Montgomery released a brief statement concerning the operation saying,

“I want to thank our narcotics unit for their hard work in conducting this investigation and putting this operation together. I also want to thank all of those law enforcement agencies who assisted us last night. This is a great example of the positive relationships that we have with our neighboring law enforcement organizations and it reflects the common goal that we all share in making our communities safer.We hear about overdoses every day. All of our families have probably been impacted, in some way or another, by overdoses and substance abuse and the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office is committed to making a positive difference when it comes to this. For the past several months, we have been receiving complaints from our citizens in this area, especially with incidents involving overdoses and we have been working hard to address these complaints. This has been a lengthy and thorough investigation and we appreciate everyone’s patience. We expect more arrests as a result of this investigation.”