Following a jury trial, Sean Richardson was convicted of trafficking in cocaine. Contending that the only evidence in support of his conviction came from the uncorroborated testimony of his co-defendant, Richardson argues that the trial court erred in denying his motion for directed verdict. We disagree and affirm. The standard of review for the denial of a motion for directed verdict of acquittal is the same as that for reviewing the sufficiency of the evidence to support a conviction. Under that standard, we view the evidence in the light most favorable to the jury’s verdict and determine whether any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. In doing so, we neither weigh the evidence nor judge the credibility of the witnesses. As long as there is some competent evidence, even though contradicted, to support each fact necessary to make out the State’s case, the jury’s verdict will be upheld. Citation and punctuation omitted. Fyfe v. State , __Ga. App.__, 6 4 Case No. A10A0487, decided July 7, 2010. So construed, the evidence presented at trial showed that during the very early morning hours of May 30, 2007, a patrol sergeant with the Braselton Police Department stopped a vehicle driving down the interstate after observing that the vehicle had “very dark window tint” and an obscured out-of-state tag. The car was being driven by Antonio Hargis and Richardson was riding as passenger. Upon approaching the vehicle, the sergeant immediately smelled the odor of burnt marijuana. As Hargis was retrieving his license and registration, the sergeant observed that Richardson appeared to be very nervous and in “a lot of stress,” his breathing was very shallow, and the carotid artery in his neck was “beating very rapidly.” The sergeant thereafter asked both Hargis and Richardson to exit the vehicle and obtained Hargis’s consent to search the vehicle. Hargis admitted at that time that the men had previously smoked marijuana.
During the subsequent search, the sergeant found what was later determined to be 574.14 grams of 61.1 pure cocaine packaged in two separate bags, one being significantly larger than the other, located under the hood. He also found a set of digital scales which, based upon his experience, he testified was of the type typically used to weigh narcotics, and at least 18 air fresheners hanging in various locations throughout the vehicle, including from the rearview mirror, the turn signal, the seatbelts, and random places inside the trunk. Both Hargis and Richardson were arrested and charged with trafficking in cocaine.
