WALTERBORO, SC (Feb. 26, 2026) — A Cottageville man with two prior meth-trafficking convictions in Florida has been sentenced to 25 years in a South Carolina prison after deputies found more than 31 grams of methamphetamine in his pickup during a traffic stop.
David Michael DeLong, 52, of Cottageville Highway in Colleton County, was found guilty Tuesday in a bench trial of trafficking methamphetamine. Circuit Court Judge Carmen T. Mullen handed down the 25-year sentence.
“This defendant made it his job to peddle in poison, making our community sick and harming an untold number of people,” said Assistant Solicitor Lynorr Musser of the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, who prosecuted the case.
The traffic stop occurred on March 8, 2025, when a Colleton County Sheriff’s deputy pulled DeLong over for having blue lights mounted on the exterior of his pickup truck. A K9 alert to the vehicle, and deputies discovered two clear bags of crystal-like substance in the center console. Testing confirmed more than 31 grams of methamphetamine.
A bench trial — in which a judge, rather than a jury, hears the evidence and decides the verdict — is often used when a defendant seeks a faster resolution.
DeLong’s criminal history in Florida dates to 1995. He was convicted of trafficking methamphetamine in both 2016 and 2018.
Musser, who has served with the Solicitor’s Office since 2013, primarily prosecutes cases in Colleton, Hampton and Allendale counties.
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