FLORENCE COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — A Florida man arrested Tuesday in Florence County with two kilos of cocaine in his car is a Jamaican musician popular in the 1990s.
Ewart Brown, known by many as “Mad Cobra” posted a $125,000 bond and was released from the Florence County Detention Center, Sheriff TJ Joye said on Wednesday. He is charged with trafficking cocaine and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
Brown, 55, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was initially pulled over for speeding on Interstate 95. Joye said deputies determined that there was a reasonable suspicion of criminal activity and asked for permission to search his car. He agreed, and that’s when deputies found the cocaine and a 9 mm Beretta pistol.
“First you’ve got to have probable cause to stop them, traffic violation, shifting lanes illegal, something of that nature,” Joye said. “Once you do that, then you do a field interview, talk with them. Sometimes, if it’s two people in the car the stories will vary on where they’re going or why they’re going.”
Joye said Brown’s arrest contributed to the recent increase in drug busts in Florence County.
According to the Jamaican Observer, Brown was a dancehall music star during the 1990s. He had popular hits such as Flex, which was sampled in Janelle Monae’s latest single “Lipstick Lover.” The single rose to No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
