Police seize more than 6 pounds of hidden meth, fentanyl in York County traffic stop
Two people from Georgia face drug trafficking charges after York County agents seized fentanyl and then found more than 6 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in a truck.
Police found the 6.5 pounds of concealed methamphetamine after an Anderson Road traffic stop on a truck with Texas plates, said B.J. Kennedy, commander of the York County Multijurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit.
The street value of the meth is around $180,000, Kennedy said.
Investigators also seized more than 25 grams of fentanyl and a Glock handgun, according to the incident report.
The people arrested include 44-year-old Thomas Aaron Hurt, who’s charged with trafficking meth and two weapon crimes, according to online court records and York County Sheriff’s Office jail records. Alison Michelle Clance, 34, is charged with trafficking fentanyl and two weapon charges, records show.
Convictions for trafficking the amount of drugs seized carry mandatory sentences of 25 years in prison, South Carolina law states.
A trafficking law for fentanyl in South Carolina went into effect earlier this year. Before the law took effect, fentanyl cases were prosecuted under a lesser charge.
What are methamphetamine and fentanyl?
Meth is a powerful, highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is approximately 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The DEA says fentanyI is inexpensive, widely available, highly addictive and lethal.
Law enforcement and public officials in York County and Charlotte have said fentanyl is easily obtained on the street and has been linked to overdose deaths, The Herald and Charlotte Observer have reported.
Both Hurt and Clance remain in the York County jail without bond.
