COLUMBIA, S.C. — Lemont Antwaun Darby, 37, of Orangeburg, was sentenced to more than three years in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute marijuana.

Evidence presented to the court showed that Lemont Darby was a drug dealer who regularly received packages of marijuana through the U.S. Mail from California and elsewhere. Mjaan Roland, 31, of Chapin, was a city carrier with the Columbia Main Post Office and Dutch Fork Station. Darby approached Roland in March 2022 and asked him to facilitate the delivery of these packages of marijuana. The address Darby used was on Roland’s route. Darby compensated Roland for some of the deliveries by paying him between $100 and $200. On other occasions, he gave him small amounts of drugs.

United States District Judge Sherri A. Lydon sentenced Darby to 46 months imprisonment, to be followed by a two-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.

Codefendant Mjaan Roland previously pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.

This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, and the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED). Assistant U.S. Attorney Winston D. Holliday Jr. is prosecuting the case.