GEORGETOWN, SC – On Monday, a man from Pawleys Island pleaded guilty to gun and drug charges, according to Fifteenth Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson.
Kneshon Raheime Pino, 30, pleaded guilty to trafficking in heroin four to 14 grams and unlawful possession of a sawed-off rifle, the press release from the solicitors office said. Pino was ordered to serve 15 years in prison for the drug charge and 10 years for the gun charge. The sentences will run concurrently.
On March 2, 2016, Pino was in a vehicle stopped by agents with the 15th Circuit Drug Enforcement Unit, who were conducting a surveillance operation. Pino had a pending warrant and was wanted on a bench warrant as well.
Agents smelled a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle when Pino exited and they saw a digital scale and two cellphones in his lap. Also in view in the front passenger seat were two plastic bags that contained heroin. When agents searched the vehicle, they also found a vacuum packed bag of marijuana and a backpack that contained two bags of marijuana and a bag of crack cocaine. Drug paraphernalia used to package the drugs were also found in the vehicle.
Pino’s drivers license was suspended and he had also been convicted of driving under suspension five times during 2015 and was classified as a habitual traffic offender by the S.C. DMV.
Pino was arrested on the gun charge on Aug. 17, 2017, after officers executed a search warrant at his home. Drugs believed to be heroin, marijuana, and hydrocodone along with the sawed-off rifle and other firearms were found in the home. The rifle was a Colt M4 carbine rile that had a 12.5-inch barrel, which is illegal in South Carolina.
