ROCK HILL, S.C. (CN2 NEWS) – Even though the effort to hold those accountable for trafficking Fentanyl in South Carolina continues to hit some roadblocks the York County Solicitor’s Office say they aren’t giving up and are now working with area lawmakers to pass legislation.
This past October authorities told us there was enough Fentanyl seized during a drug bust on the state line in Clover to kill every person in York County and beyond.
That case is now being handled by the federal government because they have stiffer penalties for trafficking Fentanyl.
The 16th Circuit Solicitor’s Office Senior Solicitor Marina Hamilton, who handles the prosecution of drug cases for the office, is working with York County lawmakers to get a Fentanyl trafficking statute passed in South Carolina.
Hamilton says some lawyer lawmakers at the state house benefit from lighter jail time because they represent many Fentanyl dealers and she says they want the mandatory mediums gone.
“We can not play games we can not use as a political leverage tool – it’s not that – this is a priority and the lawyer legislators down in Columbia need to understand this is not about your money, but about people’s lives.” said, Hamilton
Currently first time offenders charged with trafficking Fentanyl in South Carolina are sentenced to Zero to 15 years behind bars. Hamilton says this is shocking considering how deadly Fentanyl can be.
