ANDERSON COUNTY, SC — Two men, including a metro Atlanta man, have been sentenced to years in prison after authorities said deputies found a large amount of cocaine during a traffic stop on Interstate 85.
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The Anderson County Solicitor’s Office in South Carolina announced that Matthew Hemmings, also known as Heartnel Powell, 32, and Huntley Anthony Dixon, 30, of Loganville, were convicted of cocaine trafficking by an Anderson County jury.
According to prosecutors, the case stemmed from a June 14, 2023, traffic stop conducted by the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies said they noticed multiple traffic violations and stopped the vehicle on I-85.
During the stop, deputies reported both occupants appeared unusually nervous and gave conflicting accounts about their travel plans. A canine was deployed and alerted to the presence of drugs in the vehicle.
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A subsequent search led deputies to a Bluetooth speaker in the back seat, where they found more than two kilograms of cocaine hidden inside, according to investigators.
Prosecutors said testimony during the trial revealed the cocaine had an estimated street value of more than $200,000.
Authorities later determined Hemmings, a Jamaican national, was living in the United States without legal authorization and was using an alias after previously being deported under his birth name.
A judge sentenced both men to 25 years in the South Carolina Department of Corrections.
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