GREENWOOD, S.C.; June 18, 2024 – A Greenwood man was sentenced Monday to 18 years in prison after pleading guilty to trafficking in methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, 8th Circuit Solicitor David M. Stumbo announced Tuesday.
Cory Gerald Bell, 36, pled guilty before Circuit Judge Frank R. Addy, Jr., who handed down the 18-year prison sentence.
On May 18, 2023 a deputy with the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office stopped Bell because of a defective tail light. The deputy smelled the odor of marijuana that led to a search of the car which then revealed a bag containing 166 grams of methamphetamine as well as fentanyl pills hidden inside hollowed-out hand grenades.
Senior Assistant Solicitor Andrew Hodges prosecuted the case for the state with the assistance of 8th Circuit Investigator Blake Moore. Bell was represented by Greenwood attorney Stephen Geoly.
Solicitor Stumbo praised the efforts of his prosecution team working alongside deputies with Greenwood County Sheriff Dennis Kelly’s office in securing the conviction and lengthy prison sentence.
“Street drugs like fentanyl and meth are pouring across our southern border and destroying lives all over our great land right now,” said Solicitor Stumbo after the sentencing. “We will continue to make it clear to the local peddlers of these deadly substances that they will pay a high price for choosing to make a living off the misery of addicts.”