Traffic stop leads to drug trafficking charge for Columbia man, Lexington sheriff says
A traffic stop lead to a drug bust and a Columbia man is facing a trafficking charge, the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department said Monday.
Jakob Regan Dator, 20, was charged with trafficking fentanyl (28 grams or more), the sheriff’s department said in a news release.
The traffic stop happened July 31 at an entrance ramp to Interstate 20 at Sunset Boulevard, according to the release. That’s Exit 61 on I-20 in Lexington.
After pulling over Dator’s vehicle, he was found to be in possession of nearly 600 fentanyl pills, the sheriff’s department said. Information about why deputies originally stopped Dator was not available.
The pills were found in three different containers, including two plastic bags and one pill bottle, according to the release.
“Agents tested a sample from each of the three containers,” Sheriff Jay Koon said in the release. “The test results showed the substance was fentanyl.”
Dator was charged under South Carolina’s new fentanyl trafficking statute, which requires a mandatory term of at least 25 years and up to 40 years in prison and a $200,000 fine for convictions that include 28 grams or more of fentanyl, according to the release. S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster signed the bill into law on Aug. 1.
“This legislation ensures that the traffickers who are peddling this poison in South Carolina are subject to serious prison sentences, including mandatory minimums,” said Mark Keel, chief of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. “I hope this legislation serves as a deterrent to anyone who seeks to profit from this deadly drug. We must do everything we can to reduce supply and save lives.”
Dator was denied bond and is being held at the Lexington County Detention Center, jail records show.
This is not the first time Dator has been arrested in Lexington County.
In 2022, Dator pleaded guilty to charges of criminal conspiracy and strong arm robbery from 2020 arrests, Lexington County court records show.
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