VIOLENT CARTELS MAY SET SIGHTS ON SC AS DRUGS FLOW UP I-85 THROUGH GREENVILLE

Violent cartels that import drugs from Mexico could be looking to
strengthen their presence in South Carolina as a crackdown drives them
out of their distribution hub in Atlanta.

The gangs could bring a whole new set of problems - including
shootouts with police -- to a state plagued with the nation's
second-highest violent crime rate.

Their drugs are already flowing through Greenville by way of
Interstate 85 and heading for destinations all over the East Coast,
authorities said.

As local, state and federal authorities seek to turn up the heat, it
isn't unusual for them to make huge busts in the Atlanta area.

"It's not driving them away -- it's driving them out," South Carolina
State Law Enforcement Division Chief Reggie Lloyd told The Greenville
News . "We know where they're going. They're coming here."

The gangs emerged as a prominent topic Wednesday as top law
enforcement officials from four Southeastern states met at The Westin
Poinsett hotel in Greenville to explore ways of joining forces to
combat violent crime.

Authorities in South Carolina have long been combating local and
nationwide gangs, such as the Bloods and Crips. But now they are also
concerned about some of the gangs battling for control of the drug
trade in Mexico, including La Familia and Los Zetas.

Atlanta-area authorities routinely seize huge amounts of cash and
drugs at stash houses and in traffic stops, with many of the drugs
bound for areas up the coast, said Russell E. Andrews, deputy director
of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Gang members, trading primarily in meth and marijuana, have in some
cases decided to shoot it out with police rather than submit to search
warrants, Andrews said. "They are becoming more bold," he said.

Top law enforcement officials from South Carolina, North Carolina,
Georgia and Tennessee said they hope to thwart gangs through improved
cooperation. That could include sharing more information and breaking
down jurisdictional lines.

Greenville County Sheriff Steve Loftis said he has seen an increase in
drug-related gangs, including MS-13, over the past seven years, but
that problems haven't reached Atlanta's level.

"The potential is always there for growth," he said.

While Atlanta has become the East Coast drug distribution hub,
Charlotte has evolved into the financing center, Lloyd said.

"We're right in the middle," he said.