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The Lowcountry Drug Epidemic

By James Seidel | CC News Network

HAMPTON, S.C., — In a region steeped in moss-draped beauty and sleepy Southern towns, the Lowcountry of South Carolina is fighting a vicious and escalating battle: a drug epidemic that has morphed into a public health crisis, a law enforcement nightmare, and a devastating blow to rural communities.

In recent weeks, the Hampton County Sheriff’s Office has ramped up its drug enforcement efforts, releasing a wave of arrest bulletins tied to trafficking and distribution across the area. Four men were arrested between February and March 2025 in separate operations involving cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, and controlled substances. It doesn’t get much worse.

The Arrests: A Snapshot of Rural Collapse in the Lowcountry

Dale Franklin Stanley, 31, of Varnville, was arrested for possession with intent to distribute a Schedule I-IV substance, including analogues of flunitrazepam, also known as the “date-rape drug.”
Victor Coleman Folk, 32, was arrested in Hampton with cocaine, methamphetamine, and a firearm. Charges include trafficking and illegal possession by a convicted felon.
Bryan Lee Crews, 47, was arrested in Brunson on March 11 for meth possession and an outstanding warrant.
Alan Hugh Strother, 62, also of Brunson, was arrested for trafficking marijuana and methamphetamine, with photos revealing a small indoor grow operation.

Lowcountry drug busts in Hampton County. Photo: HCSO

This surge comes just days after a dramatic bust on Woodbury Lane, where deputies discovered a live grenade, meth, and outstanding bench warrants during a search of a residence. The primary suspect, David Madison Freeman, 42, had more than 100 prior arrests in Hampton County alone. He was charged with possession of meth, possession with intent to distribute, and illegal firearm possession.

Freeman’s partner, Marinna Nicole Ulmer, 41, was arrested at the same scene and charged with distribution of controlled substances.

A Pattern in the Lowcountry Emerges: Violence, Secrecy, and Dead Ends

These arrests are not isolated incidents. In Beaufort County, a traffic stop near Parris Island revealed a duffel bag packed with fentanyl pills, powder cocaine, marijuana, and meth. Police arrested two men: a 33-year-old from Yemassee and a 58-year-old from Beaufort. One suspect attempted to flee on foot, another was carrying enough fentanyl to kill thousands.

Jerry Rivers, a former tow truck driver previously linked to Alex Murdaugh, told CC News that tow trucks are routinely used to haul drug-filled vehicles across the Lowcountry. “You can move a car from one end of the state to another,” Rivers said. “If you don’t know what’s in it, you’re just doing your job. But that trunk could be loaded.”

Constructive Possession & Legal Grey Zones in the Lowcountry

In South Carolina, possession requires knowledge and control. That’s why drivers like Rivers often walk free unless prosecutors can prove intent. It’s a legal loophole traffickers exploit with expert precision.

The Epidemic by the Numbers

In Florence County, six pounds of fentanyl worth over $3 million were seized from a North Carolina man on I-95 this February.
In 2023, over 2,000 South Carolinians died from opioid-related overdoses. Fentanyl was involved in more than 75% of them.
In Chester County, deputies seized $91,000, seventeen guns, and nearly four pounds of fentanyl in a rural drug raid.

Murdered & Forgotten on St. Helena

Drug violence is claiming more than addicts. A series of unsolved murders in Beaufort County tell a darker tale:

Raymundo Lopez (2011), a known drug dealer, gunned down in his Seaside Road home.
Julius Chaplin (2011), shot in his driveway. The next day, Joe Washington, a suspect in Chaplin’s death, was also murdered.
Antonio Brewer (2015), killed in front of his child. He was allegedly set to testify in court.
Marquise Singleton (2016), found dead in a car on Sam Doyle Drive. No suspects. No justice.

St. Helena Island has become a hub for drug transit and a graveyard for retaliation killings. The remote island, with its minimal police presence and proximity to Highway 21, offers traffickers a perfect offload point.

If You Can Get to Murdaugh Island…

One source close to the investigation showed CC News a satellite image: “If you drop drugs here,” pointing to a lonely spot near Murdaugh Island, “you’re 5 minutes from the highway, 10 from I-95, and 0% likely to get caught.”

The Crisis Is Here. It’s Real.

The presence of a live grenade in a narcotics bust proves this is no longer about addiction or broken families alone. This is a war zone.

South Carolina’s rural counties are being used as hiding places for traffickers, testing grounds for enforcement, and casualties of a crisis that too few are willing to talk about.

But we will.

Stay with CC News Network. This is just the beginning.