The South Carolina Democratic Party Has a Cocaine (Trafficking) Problem

In the last three years, political operative Jason Belton joined a billionaire Democrat’s presidential campaign, became a campaign manager for a U.S. Senate race, and won election to a South Carolina Democratic Party leadership position—all while under federal indictment for trafficking nearly nine pounds of cocaine.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Belton and a co-conspirator in February 2017 contacted a drug source in California to request large quantities of cocaine, which they planned to distribute out of Columbia, S.C. Days later, the indictment states, Belton accepted a package containing four kilograms of coke from San Bernardino drug dealer Estevan Ortiz, who is also known as “Stevie,” “Wonder,” and “Little Man.”

Federal agents went on to arrest Belton in South Carolina in January 2018. As the case progressed, however, Belton became implicated in a nationwide drug trafficking ring that federal authorities busted in 2020 following a three-year investigation. Belton’s California connects were caught with 77 kilograms of cocaine, 9 kilograms of heroin, 150 pounds of methamphetamine, 989 fentanyl pills, 19 guns, and nearly $2 million in cash, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a January 2020 press release. Following the bust, federal prosecutors moved Belton’s case to the Golden State, where it remains active.- READ MORE