Major cocaine and meth dealer based in Columbia going to prison, prosecutor says

A South Carolina man is going to federal prison for decades after getting convicted on drug charges, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

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Pearish Pierre Pretty, a 43-year-old Columbia resident, was sentenced to more than 20 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of 5 kilograms or more of cocaine and 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Monday in a news release.

Pretty was a major cocaine and meth supplier for a drug trafficking organization operating in the Columbia and Lexington County areas, according to the release. Pretty was responsible for distributing more than 18,000 grams of methamphetamine and 9 kilograms of cocaine between November 2022 and December 2024, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Pretty has prior federal convictions for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and possession with intent to distribute marijuana, according to the release.

Pretty committed the crimes while he was on federal supervised release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

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U.S. District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Pretty to 250 months’ in prison, to be followed by a 5-year term of court-ordered supervision, according to the release. There is no parole in the federal system.

Pretty was previously identified as a high-level cocaine dealer who helped finance the music career of rapper Darnell Rodriguez Mealing, also known by his recording name Boss G, The State reported. In 2012, Mealing was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to drug and gun crimes.

This case was investigated by the DEA and the Columbia Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ariyana Gore prosecuted the case against Pretty, who has previously been represented by attorney Justin Kata, Richland County court records show.