A traffic stop on Interstate 85 that turned up more than two kilograms of cocaine stuffed inside a Bluetooth speaker has ended with 25-year prison sentences for the two men convicted of trafficking it. Matthew Hemmings, 32, who also went by the alias Heartnel Powell, and Huntley Anthony Dixon, 30, of Loganville, Georgia, were found guilty by an Anderson County jury of cocaine trafficking tied to the June 2023 stop.
According to WSB-TV, deputies discovered the drugs concealed inside a Bluetooth speaker in the back seat of the vehicle, with prosecutors estimating the cocaine's street value at more than $200,000. The stop began after Master Deputy Kaleb Grant of the Anderson County Sheriff's Office Directed Patrol Unit noticed multiple moving violations on the car and pulled it over on I-85, according to the 10th Circuit Solicitor. Deputies reported that both occupants seemed unusually nervous and gave conflicting accounts of their travel plans before a canine alerted to drugs inside the vehicle, per WSB-TV.
Judge Hands Down Mandatory 25-Year Terms
Circuit Court Judge R. Scott Sprouse presided over the Anderson County jury trial and imposed the sentences, the 10th Circuit Solicitor's office said. Solicitor Micah E. Black officially announced the 25-year sentences on Thursday. Under South Carolina Code § 44-53-370, trafficking 400 grams or more of cocaine carries a mandatory minimum of 25 years up to 30 years, according to TMW Law.
South Carolina law also classifies cocaine trafficking as both a violent and serious offense, counting as a strike under the state's three-strikes sentencing statute, the solicitor's office noted. The convictions count as strikes under the state's three-strikes sentencing statute. Under the state's truth-in-sentencing guidelines, both Hemmings and Dixon must serve at least 85 percent of their term — a minimum of 21 years and three months — before either becomes eligible for parole.
Immigration History Surfaces in Case
Court records described by the solicitor's office note that Hemmings is a Jamaican national who was living in the United States without legal authorization. He had been using an alias, Heartnel Powell, and had previously been deported under his birth name before this case began. Assistant Solicitor Mary Catherine Harbin prosecuted the case for the state, with Assistant Solicitor Chase Kinsey assisting her; Hemmings was represented by William Yarborough and Dixon by Clark Grounsell, both members of the Greenville County Bar, according to the solicitor's office.
Part of a Pattern Along the I-85 Corridor
The case is one of several recent cocaine and drug trafficking prosecutions tied to Interstate 85 in Anderson County. In a separate May 2026 I-85 traffic stop, deputies found 533 grams of cocaine concealed under a vehicle's hood, a seizure Hoodline previously reported on hidden I-85 cocaine. A separate stop turned up cocaine in duffel bags.
Interstate 85 has been the site of other drug seizures.
The broader public health picture in South Carolina has shifted even as trafficking prosecutions continue. The state recorded 1,481 drug overdose deaths in 2024, a 31.3 percent decline from the 2,157 deaths recorded in 2023, according to the South Carolina Department of Public Health. The cocaine seized here exceeded the 400-gram threshold by a wide margin.
