South Carolina law enforcement agents were among the multiple organizations that investigated and detained five people on drugs and weapons charges in April and May of this year. All five defendants could face prison time upwards of ten years to life.
One incident occurred on April 22; four of the individuals were detained after investigators allegedly found four firearms and over two pounds of methamphetamine. The fifth individual was detained on May 5 during a routine traffic stop in Atlanta. The woman in that incident reportedly had $90,000 in cash, a firearm and more than 25 pounds of methamphetamine.
The agencies working on the case included the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office, the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office, the Douglasville Police Department, the Department of Homeland Security, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. The people detained range in age from 24 to 45 years old. Charges against them include possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking charge for four individuals, conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute, distribution in excess of 500 grams of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine and an additional firearm possession charge for one individual.
These individuals may have several options for defense against the firearm and drug charges. The approach that their attorneys take may depend on the type of evidence that the prosecution has. For example, some of the individuals may agree to a plea bargain in which they plead guilty to lesser charges in exchange for a lighter sentence. Their attorneys might also try to get some of the charges dismissed on matters of improper procedure.
Source: The State, “Five face federal court charges after seizure of 26 pounds of meth, 5 firearms”, HARRISON CAHILL, June 26, 2014
