MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – A Myrtle Beach man will spend 15 years in jail after pleading guilty to numerous drug charges in the middle of his trial.

United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon announced in a press release that Frederick Julien Augustine, a/k/a “Cowboy,” 42, of Myrtle beach, entered a mid-trial guilty plea to possession with the intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine, more than 28 grams of crack cocaine, and quantities of heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana.

In addition, he pled guilty to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Augustine had previously been convicted of assault and battery with intent to kill, distribution of crack cocaine, burglary (2nd degree), and possession of a weapon during a crime of violence.

Augustine’s plea subjects him to a statutory mandatory sentence of 180 months in prison. The prosecution showed that on October 26, 2017, officers of the Myrtle Beach Police Department Street Crimes Unit, assisted by a Task Force Officer of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), executed a search warrant on a Myrtle Beach apartment after observing Augustine leave alone.

Inside the apartment, officers located approximately 641 grams of cocaine, 49 grams of crack cocaine, 59 grams of heroin, and 27 grams of methamphetamine, all hidden with arm’s reach of a loaded .357 Magnum revolver and additional ammunition. Officers additionally seized more than $11,000 in suspected drug money hidden in a safe with more than ½ kilogram of cocaine, and downloaded several surveillance cameras that had been set up at the apartment.

ATF’s analysis of the cameras confirmed that Augustine was at the apartment for weeks leading up to the execution of the warrant, and that he was the last person to leave before the search was conducted. Augustine was arrested on a traffic stop while the search warrant was being executed. He was in possession of $3,000 in additional suspected drug cash.

Augustine pled guilty after the prosecution presented its evidence to the jury. Augustine has been in continuous custody since his arrest on October 26, 2017, and he will remain in custody until he serves out his federal sentence.