Lugoff, South Carolina man sentenced to 14 years in prison on gun and drug charges

COLUMBIA, SC — A 33-year-old Lugoff man was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms and distribution of methamphetamine.

On multiple occasions between March and May 2023, Christopher Miles Huntington sold 37 firearms – including stolen guns, short-barreled shotguns, and firearms with high-capacity magazines – to undercover agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco , Firearms and Explosives (ATF), as well as more than 2,400 grams of methamphetamines. When he was arrested on June 29, Huntington possessed 23 additional firearms.

Huntington's prior convictions for battery of a high and aggravated nature, burglary, theft of a motor vehicle and safe-hacking prohibited him from possessing firearms.

U.S. District Court Judge Sherri Lydon sentenced Huntington to 168 months in prison, followed by a period of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was part of the U.S. Department of Justice's Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), involving multiple law enforcement agencies, including the ATF, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the West Columbia Police Department, the Department of the Lexington County Sheriff's Department and the Richland County Sheriff's Department. The goal of PSN is to reduce violent crime and gun violence and make neighborhoods safer for everyone by fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community organizations that help prevent violence in the first place, by setting targeted and strategic application priorities, and measuring results.