CHARLESTON, S.C. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)), published as received.
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Jerell Emmanuel Risher, 36, of North Charleston, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to trafficking methamphetamine.
Evidence presented in court showed that on March 7, 2024, investigators intercepted a package that was shipped from California to a North Charleston address under a false name. The package contained nearly five kilograms of pure methamphetamine. Investigators delivered the package under surveillance, and Risher picked it up from the location. When police tried to stop him, Risher sped away, reaching 111 mph, running several red lights, and throwing the package from his vehicle. He left the vehicle on a dead-end road, climbed two fences, and ran onto a school campus while classes were in session. Investigators later obtained his phone and saw he tracked the package 13 times the day it was intercepted.
Then, on Sept.17, 2024, while on bond for a state drug trafficking offense, Risher sold a law enforcement source 112 grams of pure methamphetamine at a North Charleston business.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
United States District Judge Richard M. Gergel sentenced Risher to 15 years in federal prison, to be followed by five years of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Charleston Police Department, the Charleston County Sheriff's Office, the North Charleston Police Department, and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Lietzow prosecuted the case.
