Cemeka Mitchem, on the left, and Anthony Miller, on the right, appear inset against an image of a fake stomach they allegedly used to hide and transport cocaine in South Carolina. (Anderson County Sheriff’s Office)
A woman with a fake stomach intended to mimic a pregnancy was arrested last month in South Carolina on drug charges after law enforcement allegedly found cocaine inside the device.
Cemeka Dannette Mitchem was arrested on April 12, according to Anderson County Detention Center records reviewed by Law&Crime. Arrested alongside her that day was Anthony Miller. Both stand accused of one count each of trafficking cocaine in excess of 400 grams. On Sunday, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office shared details of their arrest in a press release posted on Facebook.
Mitchem was allegedly a drug dealer posing as a “mom to be” when two specialized units were out conducting what the agency terms “proactive” patrols along U.S. Interstate 85, the sheriff’s office said. Deputies pulled over the couple for a traffic stop, the ACSO says. The underlying reason for why their vehicle was stopped is not mentioned.
Deputies said they became suspicious about the faux pregnancy when each defendant gave “conflicting information” about Mitchem’s “due date.” That, the ACSO said, raised the “first red flag.”
If there were any additional red flags, the press release skips over them in favor of how the drug bust ultimately concluded.
“As Mitchem realized deputies were becoming more suspicious of her conflicting story,” the ACSO continues, “Mitchem immediately took off running and very quickly drugs fell from the fake rubber stomach.”
In sum, according to the sheriff’s office, “more than 1500 grams” of cocaine were collected as a result of the traffic stop – which is just over three pounds. The press release does not say whether all of the cocaine was being hidden under the fake stomach.
In a photo, the ACSO posted a picture of the rubber device presumably used in the small-scale drug trafficking operation.
“Deputies found a suspect trying to disguise drugs in the most unusual way!” the caption reads. “A woman was ‘carrying’ a large amount of cocaine taped behind this rubber pregnancy belly.”
Law&Crime reached out to the ACSO for additional details about this story but no response was received at the time of publication.
Both Mitchem and Miller are still being detained as of this writing. It is unclear if either defendant has obtained legal representation. Judge Denise Malone is currently overseeing their criminal cases and denied bond in each case. Their next court date is not immediately clear.
Law&Crime reached out to the Anderson County Clerk of Court for additional details on the defendants’ cases but no response was immediately forthcoming.
Under South Carolina law, trafficking over 400 grams of cocaine is punished by “not less than twenty-five years nor more than thirty years with a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of twenty-five years, no part of which may be suspended nor probation granted, and a fine of two hundred thousand dollars.”
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