Cash, rifles, handguns, and drugs seized in Jasper Co. trafficking investigation; one man arrested

RIDGELAND, SC (WTOC) - An AR rifle, a 30-06 rifle, four handguns, body armor, fentanyl, MDMA, and other items have been seized by the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office today, August 22, 2025, according to a press release.

The JCSO Narcotics Enforcement Team, with assistance from the Jasper County Tactical Response Team and the Hardeeville Police Department CID Unit, executed a narcotics search warrant at a home on Hickory Street in Ridgeland, SC.

The JCSO Special Response Team was also deployed “due to the nature of the narcotics trafficking investigation, which involved weapons, drugs, and the criminal history of the occupant.”

The occupant in question is Juan Marquise Clarke (36) of Ridgeland, SC.

Clarke is being charged with:

• Two counts of Possession of Stolen Pistol
• Five counts of Possession of Weapon by Person Convicted of Certain Crimes
• Five counts of Possession of Weapon During Commission of a Violent Crime
• Possession of a Machine Gun
• Trafficking in MDMA (100-500 dosage units)
• Trafficking Fentanyl (over 28 grams)
• Possession of Schedule II Narcotics (over 50 pills)
• Possession of Marijuana (less than one ounce)

The press release also states that $645 in U.S. currency, home surveillance equipment, and three jars of THC wax were also seized.