Ridiculous or justice? SC man gets 25 years for drug trafficking because of state law
A York County man will spend the next 25 years in prison for a methamphetamine trafficking conviction — the minimum under South Carolina law.
A jury convicted Michael David Morgan, 40, of Clover, Thursday afternoon in York County criminal court at the Moss Justice Center on charges of third-offense meth trafficking between 28 and 100 grams, possession of drugs with intent to distribute, and fentanyl possession, according to court testimony and court records.
After the guilty verdicts, prosecutor Marina Hamilton told Judge Dan Hall in court of Morgan’s previous criminal record that included two previous drug convictions. Because of the previous convictions, Judge Hall sentenced Morgan to a mandatory 25 years in prison. Morgan’s sentence for the other two drug convictions from the trial to be served concurrently.
Morgan was on trial after he previously was arrested in 2023 by Clover police after officers found around 44 grams of meth and other drugs, prosecutors said.
Morgan is not eligible for parole and must serve at least 85 percent of the sentence under state law.
Prosecutors say the man knew potential punishments if found guilty and still opted for a trial over a plea deal. But York County’s chief public defender said the case illustrates that mandatory minimum sentences are “absurd” and costly to taxpayers.
Mandatory minimums for conviction
Mandatory minimum sentences for drug trafficking convictions are common in South Carolina state court, and are generally based on the type of drug, the amount of drugs, and if the defendant has previous drug convictions.
Meth is a powerful, highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Mandatory sentencing laws in South Carolina for trafficking include new laws enacted in 2023 that made trafficking fentanyl, an opioid, an offense with mandatory punishments for convictions.
County public defender: mandatory minimums ‘absurd’
Morgan was represented at trial by attorney Chris Bonds of the 16th Circuit Public Defender’s Office.
B.J. Barrowclough, York County’s chief public defender, said after court the case is emblematic of the problem with mandatory minimum sentences where judges have no sentencing discretion.
“While we respect the jurors decision I think this case illustrates the absurdity of mandatory minimums,” Barrowclough told The Herald in a written statement. “We are incarcerating an individual for 25 years for essentially possessing less than 100 grams of methamphetamines.”
Barrowclough said the most recent figures he has shows it costs taxpayers almost $19,000 per year to house an inmate.
“We are essentially going to spend over $474,500 of taxpayer money to warehouse one person with a drug problem,” Barrowclough said. “Ridiculous.”
Hamilton, 16th Circuit senior assistant solicitor, said after court Morgan rejected plea offers before that would have lowered the mandatory sentencing range for meth trafficking to between seven and 25 years.
