Lt. Corey Delina: two‑week task force led to 80 arrests and dozens of weapons seizures

Horry County Police Lieutenant Corey Delina told the Public Safety Committee that a new gang unit’s two‑week operation produced “a total of 80 arrests, 46 of which were wanted subjects,” and seized dozens of firearms and multiple narcotics caches.

Delina, who identified himself as the lieutenant over the narcotics division, outlined a four‑phase approach that used the U.S. Marshals Service to locate and arrest high‑priority suspects, saturation patrols along the Highway 9 corridor, targeted search warrants at locations tied to violent actors, and community‑level quality‑of‑life work by environmental services. He said the operation recovered roughly 58 firearms (including eight described as automatic), approximately 65 grams of methamphetamine, about 60 grams of fentanyl, 40 grams of crack cocaine and about 50 grams of powdered cocaine.

Committee members asked why gang activity had moved into more rural areas; Delina said tourism and atypical local gang behavior complicated investigations and that younger people are being recruited. He told the panel that community partnerships, family outreach and continued task‑force cycles are part of a sustained strategy to reduce violence.

Delina said there were seven vehicle pursuits during the operation and that reported weapons incidents dropped to five after the task force ended. The lieutenant acknowledged the operation relied on assistance from multiple federal and state partners and said the department plans to stand up another task force to maintain momentum.