CYRUS SENTENCED TO LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE

COLUMBIA -- A Hemingway man whose large-scale drug ring was allowed to
operate with the blessing of former Williamsburg County Sheriff Theodore
"Big Mac" McFarlin has been sentenced in federal court to life in prison
without the possibility of parole.

Clarence Edward Cyrus, 44, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to
distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and one count of
distribution of crack cocaine before Judge Cameron McGowan Currie on April
24. Currie handed down the sentence Monday after a day-long hearing with
evidence that proved Cyrus has been a major cocaine trafficker since the
early 1980s. Most of the at least 300 kilograms of cocaine Cyrus and his
associates distributed in Williamsburg and Florence counties was purchased
by Cyrus and his partner, Thomas Lee "TY" Williams, in Miami.

Williams was convicted at trial in July 1995 and sentenced by Currie to
more than 27 years in prison without the possibility of parole on Dec. 14,
1995.

After just 45 minutes of deliberation, a federal jury convicted McFarlin of
drug conspiracy and perjury charges on Feb. 20, 1998. The charges - one
count of participating in a crack and cocaine conspiracy and two counts of
perjury - arose from his relationship with Williams.

Williams fired on McFarlin's deputies when they tried to arrest him after a
controlled drug buy in September 1990. Wary of the relationship between the
sheriff and the suspect, deputies conducted the operation without
McFarlin's knowledge. No one was hurt in the shooting, and Williams was
arrested in some nearby bushes within 10 minutes.

Williams' partner, Cyrus, owned and operated a number of nightclubs in
Williamsburg and Florence counties. Cyrus continued to traffic in drugs
following the arrest and conviction of Williams, as well as many of his
cocaine sources in Miami. He was arrested in 1999 as a result of a lengthy
investigation involving many undercover controlled drug buys made directly
from Cyrus.

After his arrest, Cyrus tried to fake a mental illness to escape punishment
for his crimes, evidence presented at Monday's hearing showed.

Currie conducted a number of hearings on the issue and ultimately ruled
that Cyrus was mentally competent to stand trial.

But after pleading guilty to his crimes, Cyrus again feigned mental illness
and moved to withdraw his plea. Currie denied that motion immediately
before Monday's hearing.

Evidence also showed that Cyrus purchased various assets, including pieces
of real property, and had them titled in the names of different relatives
in an effort to obscure his true net worth.

The government since has obtained a $690,000 money judgment against Cyrus
and is trying to forfeit a piece of real property, 1903 S. Irby St.,
Florence, which is titled in the name of Cyrus' sister. The property, which
contains a residence and one of Cyrus' old nightclubs, called Rendezvous
Lounge, has an appraised estimated value of $500,000.

This case was investigated by agents of the FBI, the State Law Enforcement
Division and the Drug Enforcement Administration with the assistance of
other federal agencies working on the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement
Task Force. The investigation was led by FBI Special Agent Vince Flamini
and SLED Special Agent Chris Graham, U.S. Attorney Scott N. Schools said.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark C. Moore and Nancy Wicker of the Columbia
office prosecuted the case.

Schools said at least 50 people have been convicted in federal court as a
result of this investigation, including McFarlin. On Aug. 27, 1998, Currie
sentenced McFarlin to more than 24 years in prison, the minimum possible
sentence under federal sentencing guidelines. He also received 60 months in
prison for each of the perjury charges to run concurrent to his 292-month
sentence, Currie said, because of his medical conditions. McFarlin, 68,
suffers from many serious heart-related ailments, as well as diabetes and
obesity.

McFarlin, who was Williamsburg County's first black sheriff and the first
black sheriff in South Carolina since Reconstruction, maintains his
innocence. He served 16 years in office, ending in 1992.