South Carolina authorities say they found 1,500 grams of cocaine smuggled by a woman wearing a fake rubber pregnant belly.
On April 12, driver Anthony Miller and ‘mother to be’ Cemeka Mitchem were driving along U.S Interstate 85 when deputies from the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office pulled the car over for “proactive patrol,” according to the Sheriff’s facebook page. It was a joint effort between the department’s Special Investigation Division and Directed Patrol Unit.
Authorities said the couple allegedly gave conflicting information on when Mitchem was due to give birth, increasing the suspicions of law enforcement. Mitchem, who allegedly taped nearly 3 pounds of cocaine inside her fake belly, took off running. Deputies said the drugs were falling out of her rubber stomach as she ran.
Miller and Mitchem were arrested and now face charges of cocaine trafficking. Under South Carolina law, the pair could face at least 25 years in prison and a fine of $200,000 for trafficking over 400 grams of cocaine, according to Law and Crime.
This arrest comes just two months after what the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office deemed “one of the largest cocaine busts in the county’s history,” as reported by WYFF 4.
A traffic stop along I-85 led authorities to uncover 40 vacuum-sealed packages of cocaine — 108 pounds in total.
“Our deputies try to get as many drugs off our streets every day and it carries over onto the interstate,” Sheriff Chad McBride told WYFF 4 regarding the March 15 bust. “Regardless of whether the final destination of these drugs is Anderson County or our neighbouring communities, it always leads to more crime.”