Drug trafficker for Mexican cartel sentenced by Lexington County judge
A Lexington County man has been sentenced to more than 20 years in prison for working with a Mexican cartel to transport drugs through South Carolina, the solicitor’s office announced.
State Judge Debra McCaslin sentenced 42-year-old Joseph Wade Bernier, of Chapin, to 21 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to his second methamphetamine trafficking offense and charges of first degree assault, weapon possession during a violent crime and pointing a gun at people, court records show.
The 11th Circuit Solicitor’s Office of Lexington County prosecuted the case.
“Law enforcement in Lexington County will not tolerate individuals trafficking large quantities of dangerous narcotics in our community.,” prosecutor Kelly Oppenheimer said in a statement. “Authorities will continue to aggressively prosecute these cases until the drug pandemic in our county takes a significant turn.”
In July, the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department was called about a man sitting in a car outside of a home.
When deputies arrived, the solicitor’s office said police found Bernier in the car with drugs and assault rifle in plain view, . After a search, the solicitor’s office said deputies discovered methamphetamine, pills, another gun, more than $6,000 in cash and a ledger documenting drug deals.
Only a couple weeks later, Bernier, having posted bond, was driving down a Lexington County road when he stopped to ask three strangers if they knew someone he was looking for, the solicitor’s office said. When they told Bernier that they didn’t know the person, he became angry, pointed an assault rifle at them and fired a shot that didn’t hit anyone.
Deputies later arrested him and searched his home. In their search, the solicitor’s office said deputies found meth, heroin and a handgun with an obliterated serial number. Drug investigators estimated that all the drugs in Bernier’s possession would have brought in more than $100,000 on the streets.
Through investigation and interrogations, investigators discovered that Bernier had been working with a Mexican drug cartel to transport drugs from Atlanta into South Carolina, including Lexington County, the solicitor’s office said.
Bernier was on probation when police arrested him in July.
Of his 21 year sentence, three of those years are for violating his probation.
This story was originally published December 24, 2021 at 10:10 AM.