COLUMBIA, South Carolina -- United States Attorney W. Walter Wilkins announced today that another Bloods gang member was sentenced in federal court following his guilty plea to a federal drug conspiracy charge. United States District Court Judge Joseph F. Anderson, Jr., sentenced Travis Pinkston, a/k/a “TP”, age 27, of Columbia, to 151 months imprisonment, to be followed by five years of supervised release.

The case arose out of an investigation by the FBI-led Columbia Violent Gang Task Force into the illegal activities of members of the Gangsta Killer Bloods (“GKB”), a local chapter of the United Blood Nation originating from New York. In January 2007, 23 GKB members and associates were indicted on federal drug and firearm violations stemming from their involvement in a cocaine, crack, and marijuana distribution conspiracy. Twenty-one of the 23 defendants charged pled guilty, and the remaining two defendants were found guilty following a trial. Eighteen defendants have previously been sentenced and the remaining 5 defendants are awaiting sentencing.

The case was investigated by agents of the FBI's Columbia Violent Gang Task Force as part of Project CeaseFire. Assistant United States Attorneys Stacey D. Haynes and Jane B. Taylor handled the prosecution of the case.