South Carolina man charged with drug trafficking in Columbus Co.
COLUMBUS COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) - The Columbus County Sheriff’s Office has charged a man with drug trafficking following a vehicle stop on March 20.
“During this investigation, a vehicle stop was conducted on a Jeep Patriot driven by the suspect, Paul Lee Howell, at the Murphy USA gas station located at 102 Columbus Corners Drive in Whiteville. K-9 Gunny was deployed on the suspect’s vehicle,” states an announcement from the CCSO.
The sheriff’s office says that investigators searched him and the vehicle and found two ounces of methamphetamine and “amounts of” heroin, crack cocaine, marijuana, MDMA and buprenorphine hydrochloride.
“In a last-ditch effort to deceive investigators, Howell disclosed that he was planning to rob an individual and denied having illegal narcotics in his vehicle,” states the announcement.
Howell, a 37-year-old resident of Pomaria, South Carolina, was arrested and given a $200,000 secured bond. He was charged with:
- Felony trafficking in methamphetamine
- Felony conspiracy to commit robbery
- Felony possession with intent to manufacture, sell, deliver (m/s/d) heroin
- Felony possession with intent to m/s/d cocaine
- Felony possession with intent to m/s/d marijuana
- Felony possession with intent to m/s/d MDA/MDMA
- Felony possession with intent to m/s/d schedule III controlled substance
- Felony maintaining a vehicle to keep/sell a controlled substance
- Misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia
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