YORK COUNTY, S.C. (CN2 NEWS) – After years of debate, trafficking fentanyl in South Carolina is now illegal thanks to a new law.
This new law creates a mandatory minimum sentence for people who traffic the illegal drug in the Palmetto state.
CN2 has been covering this journey for nearly a year as parents who have lost a child to a fentanyl overdose rallied to see change.
“I don’t think by any means this will stop this drug, but it will hold people accountable”, says Holly Alsobrooks.
York County’s Holly Alsobrooks says the news of the Trafficking in Fentanyl bill finally becoming law is bittersweet.
“Its been an emotional week, because even with the passage of this bill there have been more deaths in this week and these deaths are not stopping”, says Alsobrooks.
We’ve been following Holly’s journey for nearly a year. She lost her 25 year old son, Cody in 2020 to an accidental fentanyl overdose.
Since then she along with other grieving parents have begged lawmakers to pass tougher penalties for drug dealers through an organization she created called FKU FentanylKillsU.
“We want them in jail for a long period of time, because they are killing our kids”, says Alsobrooks.
According to the new law, those convicted of trafficking fentanyl or a fentanyl-related substance would spend anywhere from a mandatory minimum of 7 years to a maximum of 40 years behind bars, depending on the amount of Fentanyl they have and if they have a pervious offense.
Before, law enforcement officers on a local level could only charge a person with Possession with Intent to Distribute.
“This is the worst health crisis I’ve seen created from drugs”, says B.J. Kennedy.
Commander of the York County Multijurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit, B.J. Kennedy says the law is a message to drug dealers to stay away from South Carolina.
“This isn’t a question of if it will kill you, because it absolutely will. And what this is allowing us to is target those people, get them off the streets, and so the healthcare professionals can get involved and start addressing the addictions, says Kennedy.
Kennedy also says they are using this law very carefully meaning its intended for the drug dealer, not the addict.
As for Holly Alsobrooks and so many other parents who have lost a child, they will continue to raise awareness about the drug in hopes to save others.
