Bumbling drug dealer’s smuggling plan blows up after stashing meth, fentanyl in grenades

His drug-smuggling scheme really blew up in his face.

A South Carolina drug dealer was sentenced to 18 years in prison this week after he was caught trying to move meth and fentanyl inside hollowed-out grenades last spring.

Cory Gerald Bell, 36, was stopped in May 2023 by a Greenwood County Sheriff’s deputy who noticed Bell had a broken tail light, according to WYFF 4 in Greenville.

The deputy searched the car after catching a whiff of marijuana, which is still illegal in the Palmetto State, 8th Circuit Solicitor David M. Stumbo said in a news release.

That’s when the officer stumbled upon a bag containing 166 grams of meth — as well as fentanyl pills — that were packed away inside hollowed-out hand grenades, Stumbo said, according to the network.

Bell pleaded guilty this week to trafficking methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, Stumbo said.

On Monday, a circuit judge sentenced him to 18 years in prison for the May 18 arrest.

“We will continue to make it clear to the local peddlers of these deadly substances that they will pay a high price for choosing to make a living off the misery of addicts,” Stumbo said.