Attorney General Alan Wilson applauds passage of Fentanyl-Induced Homicide Bill, reaffirms statewide leadership in fight against fentanyl

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – Attorney General Alan Wilson issued the following statement today after the South Carolina General Assembly passed Senate Bill 156, the Fentanyl-Induced Homicide Act, which establishes a new felony offense for individuals who unlawfully distribute fentanyl or fentanyl-related substances that result in another person’s death. The bill now heads to Governor McMaster’s desk for signature. 

“Today, South Carolina sends a loud and clear message: if you deal fentanyl and it kills someone, you will be held fully accountable,” said Attorney General Wilson. “This legislation gives prosecutors a powerful new tool to go after the dealers who knowingly poison our communities. I’ve spent years fighting this drug crisis, and with S.156, we are raising the stakes for those driving fentanyl deaths.” 

Under S.156: 

• Distributors of fentanyl or related substances can be charged with fentanyl-induced homicide if the substance causes a death 
• Convictions carry penalties of up to 30 years in prison 
• Defendants cannot argue that the victim's consent or ingestion absolves responsibility, except in narrow cases of suicide backed by clear evidence 

This bill builds on Attorney General Wilson’s long-standing leadership in the fight against fentanyl: 

• In January 2024, Wilson announced sweeping indictments in the “Devil in Disguise” fentanyl trafficking operation. The State Grand Jury charged 64 individuals on 327 counts, including murder, for distributing over 500 kilograms of fentanyl linked to at least six confirmed deaths. 
• In 2023, Wilson championed and helped pass Act 72, which created mandatory minimums for fentanyl trafficking and banned convicted traffickers from possessing firearms. 
• Wilson has led on national fentanyl policy, joining 25 attorneys general to call on Congress to pass the HALT Fentanyl Act and permanently schedule fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs. 
• In April 2025, Wilson urged federal officials to close a dangerous loophole in the U.S. Entry Type 86 shipping process, which drug traffickers were exploiting to move fentanyl through international mail with little screening. 
• Since Wilson began prioritizing fentanyl enforcement, South Carolina has seized more than 140 kilograms of fentanyl, enough to kill millions. 

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: when dangerous drug dealers bring fentanyl into South Carolina, we’re coming for them,” Wilson said. “We will not let up. This isn’t just a drug crisis, it’s chemical warfare on our streets, and we will treat it like the public emergency that it is.” 

Attorney General Wilson thanked the bill’s sponsors and legislators in both chambers for standing with law enforcement, prosecutors, and families affected by fentanyl. 

“The General Assembly did the right thing. Now it’s time to get this bill signed into law and start saving lives.”