A Greenville County man who fell asleep behind the wheel at a Mauldin red light in September 2021 has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after a jury convicted him of trafficking methamphetamine and possessing amphetamines and alprazolam found in his car. Tavarus Demonta Durham, now 32, was also ordered to pay a $50,000 fine following the conviction.
According to WYFF 4, Mauldin Police Department officers stopped Durham after he was found asleep behind the wheel at a red light on September 15, 2021. A search of his vehicle turned up 45.83 grams of methamphetamine, 37 amphetamine tablets, and alprazolam tablets, commonly known by the brand name Xanax. A Greenville County jury ultimately convicted Durham of trafficking methamphetamine, along with separate counts of possession of amphetamine and possession of alprazolam.
How a Roadside Traffic Stop Became a Trafficking Case
Under South Carolina Code ยง 44-53-375(C), possessing between 28 and 100 grams of methamphetamine automatically constitutes felony trafficking, carrying a statutory range of 7 to 25 years in prison and a mandatory $50,000 fine for a first offense, according to the Kulp Law Firm. That means Durham received the maximum term allowable for his weight class. State law sets an even lower bar for triggering the charge in the first place: possessing just 10 grams or more of methamphetamine is enough to bring a trafficking charge, meaning prosecutors did not need to prove Durham intended to sell or distribute the drugs, per FR Law, LLC. The alprazolam tablets found in his car brought an additional, separate charge, since South Carolina classifies the drug as a Schedule IV controlled substance carrying its own possession penalties distinct from methamphetamine or amphetamines.
The severity of the sentence traces back to how South Carolina treats drug trafficking convictions once they're handed down. State law classifies trafficking as a violent, no-parole offense, meaning judges cannot suspend or probate the mandatory minimum and convicted individuals must serve at least 85 percent of their sentence before becoming eligible for release. For Durham, that works out to a minimum of 21.25 years behind bars out of his 25-year term.
Case Sat for Years Before Trial and Sentencing
Nearly five years passed between Durham's 2021 arrest and his trial and sentencing this week. In the interim, county booking records show Durham was booked again in Greenville County in June 2024 on allegations including fentanyl possession and methamphetamine distribution, with additional drug charges following in August 2024. Those later charges remain allegations rather than proven convictions.
The case was ultimately prosecuted by Assistant Solicitors William Ray and Payton Muller with the 13th Judicial Circuit Solicitor's Office, following the original Mauldin Police Department investigation. Circuit Court Judge G.D. Morgan Jr. presided over the trial and handed down the sentence on Wednesday. The office is now led by Solicitor Cindy S. Crick, who was appointed by Governor Henry McMaster in June 2025 to head the circuit covering Greenville and Pickens counties after the resignation of longtime Solicitor Walt Wilkins, according to the Office of the Governor. Crick has since prioritized aggressive drug trafficking prosecutions and clearing case backlogs across the Upstate.
Part of a Broader Upstate Crackdown
Durham's case involved methamphetamine enforcement. A separate Upstate drug-trafficking case involved six suspects who pleaded guilty. A separate meth and fentanyl chase occurred in the broader region.
Even as Durham's sentence reflects the state's toughest trafficking penalties, South Carolina lawmakers have been debating changes to lower-level drug sentencing. House Bill 3110 proposed reductions for certain possession offenses, according to BillTrack50. The bill's preamble data cited by the tracking service notes that South Carolina averages roughly 65 drug possession arrests per day statewide, underscoring just how common lower-level cases are compared to trafficking prosecutions like Durham's.
