LEXINGTON, SC — A Lexington County man who tried to trade more than one and one-half pounds of cocaine with deputies for 50 pounds of marijuana has been sentenced to 25 years behind bars.

Benjamin John Newman, 26, was found guilty of trafficking more than 400 grams of cocaine and trafficking more than 10 pounds of marijuana but less than 100 pounds, according to the 11th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

Newman traded the drugs with an undercover Lexington County sheriff’s deputy pretending to be a drug dealer who wanted to trade cocaine for drugs. The 26-year-old was recorded saying that he could get as much cocaine as he wanted and that he was eager to get a steady marijuana supplier.

Newman traded the undercover deputy 751 grams of cocaine for the marijuana June 5, 2011, and Lexington County SWAT team members raided his Red Bank home later that day.

During the trial, it was revealed that dealers at 80 locations answered to Newman as part of a drug distribution network, solicitors said.