Matthew Frazier, 29, of Goethe Road in Bluffton has received a sentence of 25 years in prison.
He was sentenced late Thursday evening following a two-day trial. He received 10 years for trafficking cocaine and 15 years for possession with intent to distribute crack-cocaine.
The case was built around a series of drug buys by an informant working for the Beaufort-Jasper Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Task Force last fall.
For more information, I'll refer you to the news release below.
Frazier sold drugs out of a red Dodge Intrepid in the area of Martha Brown Circle, which is near Bluffton's Oscar Frazier Park. At the time of his arrest, investigators found cocaine, marijuana, crack-cocaine, a stolen handgun, three cell phones, and more than $11,000 in cash in his vehicle.
Cpl. James Carmany of the Bluffton Police Department was one of the lead investigators on the case and said cooperation between law enforcement agencies led to Frazier's downfall.
"This is a huge win for everybody -- for the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office and for the Bluffton Police Department," Carmany said. "We got this drug dealer off the street by working together."
The case was prosecuted by assistant solicitor Bill Shipley.
"The evidence amassed against Mr. Frazier by the Drug Task Force, following a lengthy and meticulous investigation, painted a clear picture for the jury," Shipley said. "The extent of his lucrative drug operation was readily apparent. The jury got it and the verdict they reached was just. It is a testament to the hard work of Beaufort County’s law enforcement officers."
Following the trial, Judge Thomas A. Russo handed down the sentence of 10 years for trafficking cocaine and 15 years for possession with intent to distribute crack-cocaine. The sentences are to run consecutively.
