A drug trafficking charge in South Carolina can result in prison, substantial fines, and lasting impacts on your record. An arrest may be based on an alleged sale, delivery, purchase, transportation, or possession of a specific amount of a drug. A Mount Pleasant drug trafficking lawyer could evaluate the evidence collected by police, how they obtained it, and whether the state can link the drugs to you.
Trafficking cases often hinge on details that are not immediately clear from the warrant or incident report. A determined drug attorney could scrutinize the search procedure, lab reports, the alleged weight, packaging, and any statements related to the arrest. At Adams & Bischoff, we defend against drug charges by critically examining the state’s evidence from the beginning.
Trafficking Could Be Based on Weight Alone
As codified in South Carolina Code of Laws Unannotated § 44-53-370, a person in Mount Pleasant may be charged with trafficking in certain controlled substances based on conduct such as knowingly selling, manufacturing, delivering, purchasing, bringing drugs into the state, helping with those acts, or being in actual or constructive possession of a listed amount of drugs.
This means a drug trafficking defense may focus heavily on whether the state could prove the alleged weight and any other required elements of the offense. For marijuana, trafficking begins at ten pounds or more. For cocaine, trafficking begins at ten grams or more. Fentanyl thresholds are much lower because the law treats smaller amounts as trafficking. The legal risk could increase sharply once the alleged amount crosses one of those lines.
Methamphetamine and Cocaine Base Charges Have Their Own Category
South Carolina treats methamphetamine and cocaine base trafficking as serious felony charges. A person may be charged with trafficking when the alleged amount is ten grams or more. The law also covers alleged selling, manufacturing, delivering, purchasing, bringing the substance into the state, helping with those acts, or knowingly possessing the listed amount.
A Mount Pleasant drug trafficking defense should not rely only on the officer’s description. The defense review may include the gross weight, net weight, packaging, test method, substance identification, and whether the lab tested enough material to support the charge. In some cases, the dispute is not whether police found a substance. The dispute is whether the state could prove the right substance, the right amount, and the right person.
Which Penalties Could Include Mandatory Prison Time?
Trafficking penalties in Mount Pleasant could include mandatory prison terms, large fines, and limits on probation or suspension of the sentence. For example, trafficking in marijuana involving 10 pounds or more, but less than 100 pounds, carries one to 10 years for a first offense and a $10,000 fine. A third or later offense in that same marijuana weight range carries a mandatory 25-year prison term and a $25,000 fine.
Methamphetamine- and cocaine-based trafficking charges could carry prison time and large fines. For a first offense involving 10 grams or more, but less than 28 grams, South Carolina law provides a three- to 10-year prison term and a $25,000 fine. Higher weights and prior convictions could increase the sentence and fine.
Evidence Issues in a Drug Trafficking Case
A trafficking bust could include a traffic stop, home search, controlled buy, informant, wiretap, phone information extraction, surveillance, or statements from others. Our team of Mount Pleasant drug trafficking attorneys could examine how the investigation began and check whether law enforcement adhered to constitutional limits at each stage.
Search issues could affect the evidence. So could chain of custody problems, lab testing limits, unreliable informants, vague messages, or assumptions about who controlled the drugs. If the case involves a car or shared home, we review whether the state could prove more than proximity. Constructive possession requires proof of knowledge and control, not merely proximity to contraband.
Speak With a Mount Pleasant Drug Trafficking Defense Attorney Today
A trafficking allegation could carry more risk than many other drug offenses because the statute often turns on weight, mandatory sentencing, and how the state connects a person to the substance. Adams & Bischoff could review the search, the lab evidence, the alleged amount, and the prosecution’s theory before you decide how to respond.
If you were arrested or charged, contact a Mount Pleasant drug trafficking lawyer at Adams & Bischoff today. We could explain the process, potential defenses, and help protect your rights in court.