Girl scout cookie patron who paid $540 for the treats arrested on drug charges

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A man in Greenville, South Carolina showed he had a big heart for helping Girl Scouts by spending a huge amount on buying their cookies. His good deed is now in question, though, after it was discovered that he has pending criminal cases, including drug charges.

The man’s charitable act first came to the attention of netizens through a now-deleted viral Facebook post by Kayla Dillard, a Girl Scouts cookie sales manager, last Friday, Feb. 22. In the post, Dillard spoke about a man who bought $540 (almost P28,000) worth of cookies from two Girl Scouts, WYFF first reported.

Dillard first shared that the man bought seven boxes of cookies and shelled out $40 (almost P2,100). The man went back moments later, saying, “‘[P]ack up all of your cookies. I’m taking them all so y’all can get out of this cold,'” since the girls were selling the cookies outdoors despite the cold weather that day.

While she did not know the man, Dillard spoke about her first impression of him. “That man was just a very kind, sincere and [a] humble man who loves children,” she told CBS News.

However, things took a bad turn when the same man, later identified as Detric Lee McGowan, was arrested on Tuesday, Feb. 26 for federal drug charges, reported Greenville News.

The report cited that McGowan was one of several suspects involved in a drug case back in 2016. It has been found out that he faces other charges such as racketeering and conspiracy to defraud the government, and conspiracy to distribute cocaine, fentanyl and heroine.

“We had no reason to believe that this man was anything other than one of our valuable customers that is helping Girl Scouts power awesome experiences through the Girl Scout Cookie Program,” the Girl Scouts of South Carolina-Mountains to Midlands vice president of recruitment and marketing Karen Kelly said, in reaction to the news. “This is now in the hands of law enforcement and of course we will cooperate with authorities.” Katrina Hallare/JB

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