Court Reverses Brown Meth Trafficking Conviction
South Carolina's appeals court found the trial court erred by admitting methamphetamine evidence despite a break in the chain of custody.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Drug Crime
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The South Carolina Court of Appeals reversed the methamphetamine trafficking conviction of Steven Brown and remanded the case. The court found the trial court abused its discretion by admitting three containers of methamphetamine after an unexplained break in the chain of custody.
Why it matters
The ruling underscores that prosecutors must account for every handler and step in drug evidence before it reaches a jury, and that an unexplained item in an evidence container can undermine a conviction. For South Carolina residents, it shows how evidentiary rules can determine outcomes in high-stakes trafficking cases.
The conviction and 25-year sentence have been reversed and the case remanded to the trial court, following a finding that the methamphetamine containers were improperly admitted. The State's evidence custodian and chemist were identified in the chain of custody, but no testimony explained the unrelated Ziploc bag found inside the box.
The players
Steven Brown
The defendant whose methamphetamine trafficking conviction and 25-year sentence were reversed on appeal.
South Carolina Court of Appeals
The state's intermediate appellate court, which found the trial court abused its discretion in admitting the evidence.
The details
Lexington County investigators received information that Brown was traveling to Georgia to obtain methamphetamine, and a state trooper stopped his truck on Interstate 20 after a police dog alerted. Officers seized three cellophane-wrapped containers, but the evidence box also held a Ziploc bag with 5.22 grams of methamphetamine that the State acknowledged was placed there by mistake and related to a separate charge.
Timeline
Investigators received tips that Brown was heading to Georgia, and his truck was later stopped on Interstate 20.
The Court of Appeals issued its reversal on November 9, 2026.
Legal Context
The decision applies South Carolina's chain-of-custody standard, which requires the State to show with reasonable certainty that evidence was not altered or tampered with before trial. It tightens how courts treat unexplained items found in sealed evidence containers in drug trafficking prosecutions.
Residents accused of drug offenses in South Carolina can expect courts to scrutinize evidence handling closely, which may affect how cases are prosecuted. The reversal also means that a trafficking case built on contested evidence can be overturned on appeal.
The takeaway
Prosecutors must document every person who handles drug evidence, because an unexplained item in a sealed box can cost a conviction. Defendants and the public benefit when courts enforce chain-of-custody rules before evidence reaches a jury.
Further reading
For more on related cases, browse Drug Crime coverage across the state.
Source note: This article includes information reported by South Carolina Lawyers Weekly.
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