ORANGEBURG COUNTY, SC — A West Columbia couple have been arrested on drug-related charges and child endangerment after a traffic stop turned up a large quantity of different narcotics.
Yulaimis Garcia, 26, and Andres Rodriguez were both charged with unlawful neglect of a child. Rodriguez was further charged with trafficking heroin.
“These were just the first round of what would turn out to be multiple charges,” Sheriff Leroy Ravenell said. “Before we could even finish a bond hearing, our narcotics officers found more drugs in the car.”
Both Garcia and Rodriguez appeared for what was their initial bond hearing on Thursday. Bond was denied on Garcia based on flight risk concerns by the court.
Bond was also denied on Rodriguez after the court was informed more charges would be levied against the West Columbia man. While the hearing was underway, more illegal narcotics were reported to have been found in his vehicle as the hearing was underway.
Authorities first came into contact with the pair early Wednesday. Around 5 a.m. a deputy stationed on I-26 clocked a passing westbound vehicle traveling more than 80 m.p.h. The officer caught up with the vehicle at the 146 mile marker near Orangeburg.
Immediately upon approaching the vehicle, the deputy could smell what he believed to be marijuana. Seeing a woman and a small child in the car, the deputy asked the driver to step out of the car. The driver then was asked point blank, “Where is the marijuana?” The driver admitted there was a “little bit” in the car and that he had been smoking some while, according to the incident report.
After the woman exited the vehicle, the officer asked the man what other drugs were in the car. The driver stated, “Just look and you’ll figure it out,” the report states.
Initially, officers were able to locate a quantity of what field tested to be marijuana in a small glass jar along with a plastic bag of a brown substance that tested to be more than 14 grams of heroin.
Then, at the same time Thursday’s hearing was underway, court officials were notified that a large quantity of drugs were located inside the vehicle, which was being dismantled at a county impound lot in an effort to locate the suspected drugs.
The white Honda had been stripped and searched resulting in little being found. Then an OCSO canine officer, Gus, was instructed to go through the vehicle. Gus then indicated on a location inside the vehicle.
A bag of field tested marijuana, two bags of field tested cocaine, and US currency of more than $2,200 was extracted from various hidden compartments inside the Honda.
The drugs are estimated to have a street value of nearly $5,000.
On Friday, Rodriguez was charged with trafficking cocaine and manufacturing or possession of a controlled substance. Bond was set on Friday’s charges at $20,000 total, surety.
“These two were stopped here in Orangeburg while they were driving through from Florida,” Ravenell said. “They have no ties to this community, but we were able to effect an arrest and take a substantial amount of narcotics off the streets.”
The Department of Social Services was notified of the child.
Rodriguez was also giving traffic tickets for speeding and DUI.
