Drug deal goes bad when man mistakenly texts photos and prices to deputy, SC cops say

A drug deal went awry in the strangest of ways, when a South Carolina man mistakenly texted product photos — and his immediate address — to a South Carolina sheriff’s deputy, according to the Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office, about 40 miles southeast of Charlotte.

It happened Monday afternoon, May 9, and the investigation began when a Chesterfield County deputy checked his phone and saw an unsolicited photo of neatly packaged marijuana, the department said in a news release.

A pistol still in the box was also in the photo, with an ammo cartridge, the post showed.

“Deputies started a text dialog ... concerning prices for the firearm and amount of requested marijuana,” the sheriff’s office said.

“(The suspect) gave a location in the town of Cheraw where he was working at a residence. Deputies arrived and found him at the specified residence. (He) was carrying a bag that contained in excess of 90 grams of marijuana and a pistol.”

The 31-year-old suspect “was arrested without incident and dumbfounded by his obvious texting mistake,” officials said.

He was charged with possession with intent to distribute, possession with intent to distribute within proximity of a school/playground, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, the sheriff’s office said.

As to how the man got the deputy’s personal cell number, it was purely by chance.

“He was texting the wrong number,” the sheriff’s office said.

This story was originally published May 11, 2022 at 4:01 PM with the headline "Drug deal goes bad when man mistakenly texts photos and prices to deputy, SC cops say."