LAURINBURG — Four people were arrested following the execution of two search warrants in Laurinburg and Laurel Hill after a months-long narcotics investigation by the Scotland County Sheriff’s Office, authorities announced Wednesday.
Lt. E. Haywood Jr., a narcotics investigator with the Scotland County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit, said the Sheriff’s Office Emergency Response Team executed search warrants on Jan. 21 at a residence in the 200 block of Phritz Street in Laurinburg and another in the 9300 block of Malloy Avenue in Laurel Hill. The searches followed a seven-month investigation into an alleged narcotics conspiracy known as Operation “74 the Hard Way.”
During the execution of the warrants, investigators arrested four individuals on multiple felony drug-related charges. Additional arrests are pending as the investigation remains active, Haywood said.
Cedric Rasheen Henderson, 34, of the 9300 block of Malloy Avenue in Laurel Hill, was arrested at the Laurel Hill residence and faces the most significant bond in the case. Henderson was charged with felony possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver cocaine, marijuana, fentanyl and methamphetamine. He also faces charges of conspiracy to sell each substance, four counts of maintaining a dwelling for the sale or delivery of controlled substances, two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Henderson was processed and placed in the Scotland County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center under a $750,000 secured bond.
Also arrested at the Laurel Hill location were Brianna Renee Hannan, 27, of the 300 block of Pitt Street in Laurinburg, and Brianna Renee Rruppasond, 27, of the 9300 block of Malloy Avenue in Laurel Hill. Both were charged with felony possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver cocaine, marijuana, fentanyl and methamphetamine. Additional charges include conspiracy to sell each substance, four counts of maintaining a dwelling for the sale or delivery of controlled substances, and two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia.
Hannan and Rruppasond were each placed in the Scotland County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center under $500,000 secured bonds.
At a residence in the 200 block of Phritz Street in Laurinburg, deputies arrested Ashanti Janae McNair. McNair was charged with felony possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver cocaine, marijuana and a Schedule III controlled substance. She also faces charges of conspiracy to sell cocaine, marijuana and a Schedule III substance, maintaining a dwelling for the sale or delivery of controlled substances, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
McNair was placed in the Scotland County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center under a $45,000 secured bond.
During the operation, investigators seized multiple firearms and U.S. currency, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities also issued a public safety warning about fentanyl, noting it is often mixed into other illegal drugs—sometimes without a user’s knowledge—greatly increasing the risk of overdose and death. The Sheriff’s Office urged anyone struggling with addiction to seek help and said the investigation remains ongoing, with additional arrests expected.