According to police, a traffic stop revealed that a pair of suspects were transporting several pounds of cocaine after a woman attempted to flee the scene and spilled the narcotics from her fake pregnancy bump.
NBC affiliate WYFF reported that two individuals were stopped in Anderson County, South Carolina, by the Special Investigation Division and Directed Patrol Unit.
During questioning, deputies became suspicious when Anthony Miller and Cemeka Mitchem allegedly gave conflicting stories about the woman’s apparent pregnancy.
“The first red flag began when the two gave conflicting information about her ‘due date,'” a Facebook post from the sheriff’s office said.
“Drug dealer Posing as ‘MOM TO BE,'” the Facebook post read. “Deputies found a suspect trying to disguise drugs in the most unusual way! A woman was ‘carrying’ a large amount of cocaine taped behind this rubbery pregnancy belly,” it continued.
As the suspicion of the deputies grew, Mitchem reportedly immediately attempted to run away, at which point the drugs quickly fell out of the rubber apparatus.
The traffic stop recovered over 1,500 grams, or just over three pounds, of cocaine from inside the rubber pregnancy belly. The two were were charged with trafficking cocaine.
In February 2023, South Carolina warned that the state was seeing a “significant increase in drug overdose deaths” in recent years.
According to the press release, from 2020 to 2021, “the total number of drug overdose deaths in South Carolina increased by more than 430 individuals, from 1,734 deaths to 2,168: an increase of more than 25%. By comparison, there were only 573 drug overdose deaths in the state in 2012.”
“Opioids continue to be the primary cause of overdose deaths in recent years, contributing to 1,733 of the 2,168 fatal overdoses in 2021,” the statement detailed.
“Other drugs are being laced with fentanyl – without the user’s knowledge – which can cause a fatal overdose even in a small quantity,” said Sara Goldsby, director of the state’s Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services.
The press release also noted that 75% of fatal drug overdoses in the United States involved opioids, which only accelerated during COVID-19 lockdowns.
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