South Carolina man who was ‘key player’ in Valley smuggling scheme sentenced

A 39-year-old South Carolina man was sentenced to a little more than 11 years in prison for his role as a key player in smuggling drugs through the Rio Grande Valley for distribution along the east coast.

U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez sentenced Jefrey Wills on Wednesday. He pleaded guilty to trafficking meth on June 20, 2023.

At the hearing in McAllen federal court, Alvarez noted that drug trafficking throughout the United States impacts the safety and security of border communities, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas said in a news release.

Wills admitted during his plea to facilitating a meth shipment through the Hidalgo port of entry.

That happened on July 31, 2021 when co-conspirators Jasmine Dorsey, 28, and Iyana Carter, 25, both of Georgia, attempted to enter the country with 35 baggies of meth weighing a little more than 37 pounds hidden in the fuel tank of their vehicle.

“They admitted to smuggling narcotics and identified Wills as the individual who assisted and contributed to the drug trafficking ring by coordinating cash transfers and providing cell phones,” the release stated.

Both Dorsey and Carter were ordered to deliver the meth to Wills, who was then arrested at his residence in South Carolina, according to the release.

“At that time, he was in possession of significant quantities of marijuana, heroin, crack cocaine, cocaine, meth and dimethyltryptamine — a hallucinogenic drug — as well as 11 firearms,” the release stated.

Both Dorsey and Carter previously pleaded guilty. Dorsey is serving a little more than five years in prison while Carter is serving more than seven years in prison.

Wills, who has been in custody, will be transferred to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility in the near future.