Rock Hill Criminal Defense Law Blog

Drug trafficking can occur in South Carolina and anywhere else in the world. It is considered a serious crime, and secondary crimes such as kidnapping or murder can occur during a drug trafficking operation. A variety of controlled substances from LSD to marijuana are produced, distributed and sold on a large scale. Many different agencies in the United States are tasked with investigating drug crimes such as trafficking.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is the primary agency that looks to investigate and prevent drug crimes in America. It coordinates with a variety of sources such as local and state police and private citizens to carry out its investigations. Other agencies that help with drug crime investigations include the FBI and the ATF. In some cases, these agencies will work with Interpol to investigate and put a stop to drug crimes involving groups operating in multiple countries.

The exact circumstances of a crime determine the selection of criminal charges in South Carolina. The intent and behavior of an individual accused of killing another person influence how a prosecutor applies a homicide charge. The term reckless homicide has been developed to describe deaths that arise from people who knowingly acted in an unsafe manner.

The law establishes recklessness by estimating whether an ordinary person would view the actions preceding the death as dangerous. A reckless act represents a conscious choice to deviate from the standards of care that individuals normally exercise toward each other.

Nowadays, many of South Carolina’s jails and prisons are full of inmates who might otherwise not be there were it not for their drug addictions. Because of this overcrowding issue, and because so many state residents grapple with serious drug addictions, some offenders enroll in drug court programs, as opposed to serving time in jail or prison.

Drug courts are closely supervised programs that strike a careful balance between holding criminal offenders accountable for their criminal acts and giving them the support they need to break their addictions and change their lifestyles. Though not available in all areas and typically reserved for non-violent drug offenders, drug courts can benefit both offenders and their community in numerous ways. Just how are today’s drug courts helping addicts and their communities?

South Carolina prison officials and the state's attorney general announced that they have uncovered a contraband trafficking operation taking place utilizing a number of methods and operations facilities. A law enforcement investigation into the matter turned up a variety of contraband items like illegal drugs, prescription medications, tobacco products and cellphones. Seventeen people, including inmates and their associates on the outside, have been indicted on a litany of crimes that add up to 106 charges in total.

According to reports, the trafficking operation provided contraband to inmates using conventional methods, like throwing items over prison walls, as well as unconventional methods that involved bakeries and other vendors serving South Carolina's prison system. It is believed that the contraband was used to support gang activity within prisons, and staff members have also been implicated in the conspiracy to distribute contraband items referred to in the indictments.