A Rock Hill man has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for orchestrating a massive, international drug trafficking operation that produced hundreds of thousands of counterfeit pills. Timothy Markee Gayton, 34, was convicted for his leadership in two major schemes involving the manufacture and distribution of fentanyl and cocaine.
Federal investigations revealed that beginning in 2018, Gayton operated industrial-scale clandestine laboratories in the York County area. Using materials imported from China and Mexico—including pill presses, binder, and raw fentanyl powder—he manufactured counterfeit Roxicodone pills to supply dealers throughout South Carolina.
Law enforcement interventions failed to halt Gayton’s operations initially. Following a 2018 raid where agents seized firearms, thousands of rounds of ammunition, and $23,000 in cash, Gayton was released on bond. Within a week, he sold a kilogram of fentanyl to an undercover source. Between 2018 and 2022, his network expanded, eventually resulting in the seizure of 30 kilograms of fentanyl and 150,000 finished pills at a single lab site. His identical twin brother, Timario Gayton, was previously sentenced to 15 years for his involvement in the operation.
Even after being taken into federal custody following a 2023 indictment, Gayton continued his criminal activity from behind bars. Officials determined he arranged for the distribution of over a kilogram of fentanyl from jail, smuggled in contraband cell phones, and bribed a jail guard.
The successful prosecution involved a massive coalition of local, state, and federal agencies, including the DEA, FBI, and various South Carolina sheriff’s offices. Gayton will serve his full term in the United States Bureau of Prisons without the possibility of parole.
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