Source: Office of United States Attorneys
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Derrick Santell Brown, 33, of Ravenel, was sentenced to 1o years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking and possessing with intent to distribute marijuana.
Evidence presented to the court showed that on Jan. 12, 2023, an officer with the Goose Creek Police Department conducted a traffic stop on an SUV for having an inoperable headlight. Immediately upon stopping in a nearby parking lot, Derrick Brown, the defendant, and sole occupant, exited the vehicle. After a brief interaction with the officer, Brown fled the traffic stop. He was apprehended by another officer about 300 yards away. Brown had more than $10,000 in cash, 43 grams of marijuana split in two bags, and two cell phones on his person. A search of the car revealed an AK-47 style firearm with an extended magazine containing 48 rounds.
United States District Judge Bruce H. Hendricks sentenced Brown to 120 months imprisonment, to be followed by a five-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Goose Creek Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Holmes is prosecuting the case.
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