A 42-year-old Greenville man is headed to prison for the next two decades after deputies found more than 22 grams of fentanyl in his possession during a search last year. Travis Wayne Smith was sentenced to 20 years in the South Carolina Department of Corrections following his conviction on trafficking charges tied to the February 2025 bust.
The case began when the Greenville County Sheriff's Office carried out a drug search that led deputies to discover fentanyl during their investigation, according to WYFF. Deputies say they found 22.81 grams of fentanyl in Smith's possession, a quantity that led to a trafficking charge in the 14-to-28-gram range. The Thirteenth Circuit Solicitor's Office, which handles state felony prosecutions across Greenville and Pickens counties, charged Smith with trafficking more than 14 but less than 28 grams of fentanyl.
How the Weight of the Drugs Shaped the Charges
Under South Carolina Code § 44-53-370(e)(9), possessing between 14 and 28 grams of fentanyl carries a statutory penalty of 25 years in prison and a $200,000 fine, according to the South Carolina Legislature. The bar for triggering trafficking charges in the first place is remarkably low: the state's 2023 drug legislation, signed under Governor Henry McMaster, set the threshold at just four grams of any fentanyl mixture, while possessing more than two grains of fentanyl or a fentanyl-related substance can bring a felony possession charge punishable by up to five years. A court index lists a pending case filed on February 12, 2025.
Smith's 20-year sentence came in below the 25-year statutory penalty tied to his weight bracket, a gap that points to a specific judicial disposition or plea arrangement handled by the solicitor's office, though the exact terms of that resolution were not detailed. Even so, the sentence lands in territory that South Carolina treats with unusual severity. Under state criminal statutes, many drug-trafficking offenses are classified as violent offenses and subject to 85-percent service, according to Grand Strand Law Group.
Fentanyl's Toll on Greenville County
The case adds to a string of major fentanyl trafficking sentences handed down in Greenville County this year, including a Mauldin meth trafficking case. The case highlights the continuing law-enforcement focus on drug trafficking in the county.
The case underscores the continuing law-enforcement focus on fentanyl and overdose prevention.
A Longstanding Statewide Response
The case reflects an ongoing enforcement response to synthetic opioids. Prosecutors continue pursuing lengthy sentences under the state's trafficking statutes.
