Deandre Malik Horry
Introduction
Deandre Malik Horry, a/k/a “Sosa”, 29, of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, has been convicted by a federal jury following a two-day trial of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of, and during and in relation to, a federal drug trafficking crime. U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers, II presided over the trial and will sentence Horry after receiving and reviewing a pre-sentence report from the U.S. Probation Office.
Background Information
Evidence introduced at trial showed that beginning in approximately 2020 and continuing until at least July 2022, Horry and others conspired to distribute fentanyl to drug dealers and customers in the Charleston area; the jury determined that Horry conspired to distribute at least 40 grams of fentanyl. The conduct put him inside the supply chain of the drug driving the deadliest phase of the American overdose crisis, distributing not to occasional users but to dealers and customers across an entire metro area over roughly two years.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Convicted. The jury found Horry guilty on all counts after a two-day trial; he faces a mandatory prison term of at least 10 years at sentencing.
The conspiracy’s unraveling came on July 11, 2022, when a Charleston County Sheriff’s deputy conducted a traffic stop on Horry’s vehicle in North Charleston after federal agents observed a possible drug transaction involving Horry and a co-conspirator. The deputy located 11 grams of fentanyl in Horry’s sock, a loaded Glock pistol in the vehicle’s center console, more than $1,400 in cash, a digital scale, and a holster for the pistol. The loaded weapon alongside the drugs and cash is what converted a trafficking case into one carrying the firearm-in-furtherance count, with its consecutive mandatory penalty.
Public Reaction and Consequences
Horry faces a mandatory term of imprisonment of at least 10 years, with the final sentence to be set by Judge Myers after the presentence investigation. The prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159, the whole-of-government partnership targeting drug trafficking organizations, and was investigated by the FBI’s Lowcountry Violent Crimes Task Force with assistance from the Charleston Police Department, North Charleston Police Department, Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office, Mount Pleasant Police Department, Summerville Police Department, Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office, and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Whit Sowards and Emily Limehouse are prosecuting.
Current Status
Horry awaits sentencing at Judge Myers’s discretion following the jury’s verdict; the September 28, 2026 announcement records the conviction but no sentencing date. The jury’s finding that the conspiracy involved at least 40 grams of fentanyl anchors the mandatory minimum structure at sentencing, and the firearm count adds its own consecutive exposure. The two-day trial and the breadth of the agency list reflect a case built on coordinated federal-local surveillance rather than a single traffic stop, which merely confirmed what the agents had watched forming.
Impact on Their Career/Life
At 29, Horry faces a decade of federal prison as the floor of his sentencing exposure, with the firearm-in-furtherance conviction’s consecutive term and the fentanyl quantity findings capable of pushing the guideline range far above it. A federal drug-trafficking felony with a gun conviction forecloses lawful employment in any licensed or trust-based field, and supervised release will follow whatever term the court imposes. The “Sosa” alias in the court record marks him as a known name in the Charleston trade the task force targeted, a reputation that outlasts any sentence.
Sources
- U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of South Carolina, “Federal Jury Convicts Mount Pleasant Man for Fentanyl Trafficking and Firearm Offenses” — source