Thursday, June 4, 2020
McCORMICK, SC (WRDW / WAGT) – Arrest warrants have been issued on additional charges against a Rock Hill woman in connection with the smuggling sent to two inmates at the McCormick Correctional Institution, according to authorities.
The new charges against Melanie Lace Rader, 33, include methamphetamine trafficking, possession of illegal drugs intended for distribution and introduction of contraband in a prison.
Those charges involve 58 grams of methamphetamine and 44.5 grams of a green leafy substance sent in various packages to inmates at McCormick County Maximum Security Prison, according to the South Carolina Department of Corrections.
Rader was charged in May by the York County Sheriff’s Department with possession of meth with intent to distribute, possession of hashish with intent to distribute and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, the state agency said.
The charges involve a month-long investigation into Rader, her boyfriend and prison inmates. Several packages containing methamphetamine and marijuana were sent to prisoners and intercepted in prison, the state agency said.
A search of Rader’s residence in Rock Hill revealed other drugs packaged in small quantities, including 7.5 grams of methamphetamine packaged in 15 packs of tape, 23.4 grams of hash packaged in a packet and 1.6 grams of packaged cocaine in a package, the agency said. Inside the cocaine package were eight smaller packages, each containing 0.2 grams of cocaine labeled “poison”, according to the agency.
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