Mullins man sentenced to nearly 10 years in federal prison on gun, drug charges

FLORENCE, S.C. (WBTW) — A Mullins man was sentenced to nearly 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to several drug charges, the Department of Justice said Thursday.

Marquand Jerome Newell, 41, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, crack cocaine, and fentanyl, as well as possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

Dillon County deputies on Sept. 28, 2022, went to a Dillon-area home to serve an order of protection, the DOJ said. When they arrived, they found Newell sitting in a vehicle in the driveway and could smell marijuana coming from it.

Newell admitted he had marijuana and gave deputies a cooler with a large bag of marijuana in it, according to the DOJ. He also indicated there was something in the glove compartment that deputies should seize.

After searching the vehicle, deputies found 33 grams of methamphetamine, 56 grams of cocaine, 13 grams of crack cocaine and 27 grams of fentanyl, the DOJ said. They also found a loaded .40 caliber Smith and Wesson handgun in the glove compartment.

Newell was sentenced to 117 months in prison, the DOJ said. He was given 57 months on the drug charge with 60 months consecutive on the gun charge to be followed by a five-year term of court-ordered supervision.

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Caleb is a digital producer at News13. Caleb joined the team in January 2023 after graduating from Liberty University. He is from Northern Virginia. Follow Caleb on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here.

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