Any accusations or charges related to drugs or drug possession, no matter what those charges are based on, necessitates a good defense for the accused. As can be expected, the more serious the charges, the stronger the defense will need to be.
Recently, a DeKalb County couple learned this lesson the hard way. The couple was pulled over at a routine traffic stop on I-85 when the officer started to ask the driver questions. The officer claims that the driver’s “itinerary did not make sense,” and then said he was allegedly tipped off by air fresheners in the car. Also, the officer saw a gym bag in the back seat that was allegedly suspicious. The officer allegedly was granted permission to search the vehicle where he purportedly found $2,500 cash, along with some drugs in the bag, including methamphetamine valued at $165,000. Police arrested the couple upon this discovery.
Most drug charges have serious consequences if the accused is convicted. For that reason, if accused of a crime, the defendant should seek assistance immediately so a proper defense can be made. Oftentimes, a defense attorney will investigate whether an illegal search and seizure was made if the drugs were not in plain sight, or whether a search warrant was improperly granted based on faulty paperwork. A defense can often be put forth if the drugs were handled improperly or the chain of custody was broken at some point. Further, if the drugs were not actually the defendant’s, then a defense can be put forth that he either did not know he had them in his possession or was unaware of what they were.
Dealing with drug charges is a difficult affair for anyone to handle on his or her own. With the proper help, those accused increase the chances that some or all of the charges could be either thrown out or reduced significantly.
Source: WSBTV, “‘Police: Couple smuggle $165,000 in meth,” Tom Regan, Sept. 9, 2013