RIDGELAND, SC (April 14, 2021) – A 35-year-old Jasper County man has been found guilty of drug trafficking, following a two-day jury trial.
A Jasper County General Sessions jury found Kareem Kenya Stevenson guilty Wednesday of trafficking heroin, trafficking cocaine base and possession of cocaine.
On June 11, 2018, Jasper County sheriff’s deputies seized heroin and cocaine from Stevenson who was a front-seat passenger in a car pulled over for a traffic violation on Smiths Crossing.
Before authorities found the narcotics, Stevenson tried to escape from the car through the driver’s side. When he was not successful, he tried climbing out a passenger-side window. He got halfway out the passenger-side window when backup officers arrived.
“Mr. Stevenson had a significant amount and variety of narcotics in his possession,” said Assistant Solicitor Lynorr Musser, who prosecuted the case. “Jasper County is a safer place because those drugs didn’t make it to the street and because Kareem Stevenson is behind bars.”
Stevenson was sentenced to 10 years for trafficking heroin, 10 years for trafficking cocaine and three years for possession of cocaine. The sentences are to run concurrently. He was found not guilty of a charge of possessing less than one gram of methamphetamine.
Circuit Court Judge Carmen Mullen handed down Wednesday’s sentence.
Musser primarily prosecutes crimes in Jasper County. She has been with the Solicitor’s Office since 2013.
