Arrested for drug charges twice in one week: Georgetown man is going to prison

A Georgetown man was sentenced to 25 years in prison after he was convicted of trafficking heroin, according to a release Friday from the office of 15th Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson.

Thirty-five-year-old Desmond Shamaine Collins was arrested during a traffic stop on June 25, 2016 when police say they found 17.7 grams of heroin, more than $3,000 in cash, two marijuana blunts and a scale inside his 2003 Nissan Altima. Collins was charged with trafficking heroin and simple possession of marijuana.

He was released on bond the following day, according to online court records.

Two days later, on June 28, 2016, Collins was arrested again on another traffic stop involving the same Nissan Altima in which Myrtle Beach police say they found a baggy of marijuana in a Newport cigarette box. Collins was charged with a second offense of marijuana possession.

Judge Benjamin Culbertson sentenced Collins after an Horry County jury found him guilty of heroin trafficking at the end of a three-day trial that concluded Wednesday.

The sentence was mandatory due to the amount of heroin involved in the case, according to the release. Collins had multiple prior convictions, including a distribution of crack cocaine conviction in 2009, felony robbery in 2012 and marijuana possession in 2017.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant Solicitor Gray Ervin and Senior Assistant Solicitor David P. Caraker, Jr.

Prosecutors say they hope this sentencing will send a message to any potential traffickers about the high cost to weigh before “bringing this poison into our community.”

This story was originally published November 17, 2017 at 4:14 PM with the headline "Arrested for drug charges twice in one week: Georgetown man is going to prison."