By Shellie Murdaugh
The Island News
One person was arrested and one was detained Thursday, Oct. 29 after 291 grams of cocaine and $20,000 in U.S. currency was seized in the Rolling Marsh Lane area of Hardeeville following a narcotics trafficking investigation, according to the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office.
Ramiro Diaz Chino, 32, was arrested and charged with trafficking cocaine and Edith Moralas Agustin, 34, was detained by Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) pursuant to an order of removal from the United States, police said.
Both individuals were transported to the Jasper County Detention Center.
Chino remained in the detention center Nov. 2 after receiving a $50,000 surety bond and is being held for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to detention center records.
Agustin was released into ICE custody Friday, Oct. 30, according to records.
The investigation was conducted with the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Enforcement Team in coordination with Homeland Security Investigations, according to Jasper County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Christian Felt. He said the investigation remains active and further arrests are anticipated.
“During the investigation, authorities identified individuals suspected of trafficking cocaine from a residence in that area,” Felt said. “A search warrant was subsequently executed by the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office Tactical Response Team, Narcotics Enforcement Team, the Hardeeville Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).”
Shellie Murdaugh, who joined The Island News in October 2026, formerly worked as a reporter for The Jasper County Sun Times and Bluffton Today. She also worked for newspapers in Hampton and Colleton counties in South Carolina and in North Carolina at The Richmond County Daily Journal. She can be reached at shelliemurdaugh@gmail.com.
