18-year-old charged locally as federal investigation continues into international package
By Delayna Earley
The Island News
Two people were arrested at a Beaufort post office Thursday, April 30, as part of a federal operation targeting the illegal mailing of weapons, according to federal officials.
A man and woman were detained around 4 p.m., outside the U.S. Post Office at 11 Robert Smalls Parkway after allegedly receiving illegal firearms or firearm parts through the mail.
The operation was conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations and the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
The case involved Homeland Security Investigations because the package originated in another country, according to Breslin Steverson of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
Photos from WSAV-TV show one man in handcuffs outside the post office, flanked by a federal agent and a Beaufort County deputy, with several other agents nearby.
One of the two suspects was identified as 18-year-old Burton resident Brandon Treymayne Anderson, who was booked into the Beaufort County Detention Center on Thursday evening.
Anderson was charged under South Carolina law with unlawful possession of a machine gun or a sawed-off shotgun or rifle.
Jail records show he was released just before 11 a.m. Friday, May 1, on a $10,000 personal recognizance bond.
As of Friday, Anderson had not been federally charged in connection with the alleged delivery.
The second person detained, a woman, has since been released. Steverson declined to identify her.
Steverson said both individuals could face federal charges under the National Firearms Act and the Gun Control Act of 1968, which regulate the transfer and transport of certain weapons, including across state lines and international borders.
Federal officials have not said what was contained in the package.
Asked how the shipment was identified, Steverson said postal inspectors use screening methods to flag suspicious parcels and noted that inspectors cannot open mail without consent or a federal search warrant.
Further details have not been released as the investigation remains ongoing.
Delayna Earley, who joined The Island News in 2022, formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.