H 4338 General Bill, By L.M. Martin, R.S. Corning, Davenport, Meacham and 
Walker
 A Bill to amend Section 44-53-370, as amended, Code of Laws of South Carolina,
 1976, relating to trafficking in cocaine, so as to provide for a mandatory
 minimum term of imprisonment without parole, work release, or supervised
 furlough; and to amend Section 44-53-375, as amended, relating to possession,
 sale, manufacture, and distribution of ice, crank, or crack cocaine, so as to
 provide for a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment without parole, work
 release, or supervised furlough, to define prior convictions for purposes of
 sentencing, and to provide the punishment for conspiracy to violate this
 Section.

   12/01/93  House  Prefiled
   12/01/93  House  Referred to Committee on Judiciary
   01/11/94  House  Introduced and read first time HJ-23
   01/11/94  House  Referred to Committee on Judiciary HJ-23

A BILL

TO AMEND SECTION 44-53-370, AS AMENDED, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO TRAFFICKING IN COCAINE, SO AS TO PROVIDE FOR A MANDATORY MINIMUM TERM OF IMPRISONMENT WITHOUT PAROLE, WORK RELEASE, OR SUPERVISED FURLOUGH; AND TO AMEND SECTION 44-53-375, AS AMENDED, RELATING TO POSSESSION, SALE, MANUFACTURE, AND DISTRIBUTION OF ICE, CRANK, OR CRACK COCAINE, SO AS TO PROVIDE FOR A MANDATORY MINIMUM TERM OF IMPRISONMENT WITHOUT PAROLE, WORK RELEASE, OR SUPERVISED FURLOUGH, TO DEFINE PRIOR CONVICTIONS FOR PURPOSES OF SENTENCING, AND TO PROVIDE THE PUNISHMENT FOR CONSPIRACY TO VIOLATE THIS SECTION.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. The last three paragraphs of Section 44-53-370(e) of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 184 of 1993, are further amended to read:

"Sentences for a violation of the provisions of this subsection may not be suspended and probation may not be granted. A person convicted and sentenced under this subsection to a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of twenty-five years or a mandatory term of twenty-five years or more is not eligible for parole, extended work release, as provided for in Section 24-13-610, or supervised furlough, as provided for in Section 24-13-710. Notwithstanding Section 44-53-420, any a person convicted of conspiracy pursuant to this subsection must be sentenced as provided herein in this section with a full sentence or punishment and not one-half of the sentence or punishment prescribed for the offense.

The weight of any controlled substance in this subsection includes the substance in pure form or any compound or mixture of the substance.

The offense of possession with intent to distribute described in Section 44-53-370(a) is a lesser included offense to the offenses of trafficking based upon possession described in this subsection."

SECTION 2. Section 44-53-375 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 184 of 1993, is further amended to read:

"Section 44-53-375. (A) A person possessing or attempting to possess less than one gram of ice, crank, or crack cocaine, as defined in Section 44-53-110,:

(1) for a first offense, is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction for a first offense, must be imprisoned not more than five years and fined not less than five thousand dollars. For a first offense the court, upon approval of the solicitor, may require as part of a sentence, that the offender enter and successfully complete a drug treatment and rehabilitation program.;

(2) for a second offense or if, in the case of a first conviction of a violation of this section, the offender has been convicted of any of the laws of the United States or of any state, territory, or district relating to narcotic drugs, marijuana, depressant, stimulant, or hallucinogenic drugs, the offender is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must be imprisoned not more than ten years and fined not less than ten thousand dollars.;

(3) for a third or subsequent offense or if, in the case of a first conviction of a violation of this section, the offender has been convicted of any of the laws of the United States or of any state, territory, or district relating to narcotic drugs, marijuana, depressant, stimulant, or hallucinogenic drugs, the offender is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must be imprisoned not less than ten years nor more than fifteen years and fined not less than fifteen thousand dollars.

(B) A person who manufactures, distributes, dispenses, delivers, purchases, or otherwise aids, abets, attempts, or conspires to manufacture, distribute, dispense, deliver, or purchase, or possesses with intent to distribute, dispense, or deliver ice, crank, or crack cocaine, in violation of the provisions of Section 44-53-370, is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction:

(1) for a first offense, must be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of not more than fifteen years and fined not less than twenty-five thousand dollars;

(2) for a second offense or if, in the case of a first conviction of a violation of this section, the offender has been convicted of any of the laws of the United States or of any state, territory, or district relating to narcotic drugs, marijuana, depressant, stimulant, or hallucinogenic drugs, the offender must be imprisoned for not more than twenty-five years and fined not less than fifty thousand dollars;

(3) for a third or subsequent offense or if the offender has been convicted two or more times in the aggregate of any violation of the laws of the United States or of any state, territory, or district relating to narcotic drugs, marijuana, depressant, stimulant, or hallucinogenic drugs, the offender must be imprisoned for not more than thirty years and fined not less than one hundred thousand dollars.

Possession of one or more grams of ice, crank, or crack cocaine is prima facie evidence of a violation of this subsection.

(C) A person who knowingly sells, manufactures, delivers, purchases, or brings into this State, or who provides financial assistance or otherwise aids, abets, attempts, or conspires to sell, manufacture, deliver, purchase, or bring into this State, or who is knowingly in actual or constructive possession or who knowingly attempts to become in actual or constructive possession of ten grams or more of ice, crank, or crack cocaine, as defined and otherwise limited in Sections 44-53-110, 44-53-210(b)(4), 44-53-210(d)(1), or 44-53-210(d)(2), is guilty of a felony which is known as `trafficking in ice, crank, or crack cocaine' and, upon conviction, must be punished as follows if the quantity involved is:

(1) ten grams or more, but less than twenty-eight grams:

(a) for a first offense, a term of imprisonment of not less than three years nor more than ten years, no part of which may be suspended nor probation granted, and a fine of twenty-five thousand dollars;

(b) for a second offense or if, in the case of a first conviction of a violation of this section, the offender has been convicted of any of the laws of the United States or of any state, territory, or district relating to narcotic drugs, marijuana, depressant, stimulant, or hallucinogenic drugs, a term of imprisonment of not less than five years nor more than thirty years, no part of which may be suspended nor probation granted, and a fine of fifty thousand dollars;

(c) for a third or subsequent offense or if, in the case of a first conviction of a violation of this section, the offender has been convicted of any of the laws of the United States or of any state, territory, or district relating to narcotic drugs, marijuana, depressant, stimulant, or hallucinogenic drugs, a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of not less than twenty-five years nor more than thirty years, no part of which may be suspended nor probation granted, and a fine of fifty thousand dollars;

(2) twenty-eight grams or more, but less than one hundred grams:

(a) for a first offense, a term of imprisonment of not less than seven years nor more than twenty-five years, no part of which may be suspended nor probation granted, and a fine of fifty thousand dollars;

(b) for a second offense or if, in the case of a first conviction of a violation of this section, the offender has been convicted of any of the laws of the United States or of any state, territory, or district relating to narcotic drugs, marijuana, depressant, stimulant, or hallucinogenic drugs, a term of imprisonment of not less than seven years nor more than thirty years, no part of which may be suspended nor probation granted, and a fine of fifty thousand dollars;

(c) for a third or subsequent offense or if, in the case of a first conviction of a violation of this section, the offender has been convicted of any of the laws of the United States or of any state, territory, or district relating to narcotic drugs, marijuana, depressant, stimulant, or hallucinogenic drugs, a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of not less than twenty-five years and not more than thirty years, no part of which may be suspended nor probation granted, and a fine of fifty thousand dollars;

(3) one hundred grams or more, but less than two hundred grams, a mandatory term of imprisonment of twenty-five years, no part of which may be suspended nor probation granted, and a fine of fifty thousand dollars;

(4) two hundred grams or more, but less than four hundred grams, a mandatory term of imprisonment of twenty-five years, no part of which may be suspended nor probation granted, and a fine of one hundred thousand dollars;

(5) four hundred grams or more, a term of imprisonment of not less than twenty-five years nor more than thirty years with a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of twenty-five years, no part of which may be suspended nor probation granted, and a fine of two hundred thousand dollars.

(D) Except for a first offense, as provided in subsection (A) of this section, sentences for violation of the provisions of this section may not be suspended and probation may not be granted. A person convicted and sentenced under this section to a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of twenty-five years or a mandatory term of twenty-five years or more is not eligible for parole, extended work release, as provided for in Section 24-13-610, or supervised furlough, as provided for in Section 24-13-710.

Notwithstanding Section 44-53-420, a person convicted of conspiracy pursuant to this subsection must be sentenced as provided in this section with a full sentence or punishment and not one-half of the sentence or punishment prescribed for the offense."

SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.