Bristol Police Break Up Drug Trafficking Network
Three people who were allegedly at the top of a meth distribution network are in police custody after officers executed search warrants at a local hotel.
During the search, investigators reportedly found around 1.5 pounds of meth, two guns, and around $650 in cash. They now face multiple charges.
Two suspects were taken to the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail in Abingdon, where they were held without bond. The third suspect was taken to the regional jail under a $1,500 bond.
Search Warrant Affidavits
Usually, search warrant affidavits in large drug trafficking investigations heavily rely on information provided by a paid informant. That compensation might be several thousand dollars in cash or leniency in another proceeding.
The second form of payment is very common in drug trafficking cases. Frequently, when officers arrest people for drug possession, they promise to drop or reduce the charges if the defendant gives them a name.
Incidentally, these promises are empty promises. Police officers don’t have the authority to file or dismiss charges. Only prosecutors and judges have such power.
Since most people will say almost anything for love or money, judges view this information with skepticism. As a result, a Leesburg drug crime lawyer is often able to invalidate the search warrant because the affidavit contains unreliable information.
There’s a difference between reliability and accuracy. A broken clock is unreliable even though it’s accurate twice a day.
Additionally, reliability is not automatically transferable. A police snitch might have an excellent reputation in one county. But unless the affidavit includes evidence of reliability, the snitch is just someone else who’ll say anything for love or money.
On a related note, large multi-agency investigations often create evidence admissibility and search warrant issues. Sometimes, the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing. If police take such shortcuts, a Leesburg criminal defense lawyer can hold them accountable in court.
Resolving Drug Trafficking Cases
Prosecutors often rely on circumstantial evidence, like guns and cash, to elevate possession charges to distribution charges. Frequently, the circumstantial evidence is not compelling. Sometimes, there’s little or no connection between the drugs and the additional evidence. A gun in the living room usually isn’t related to drugs in the garage.
Additionally, the evidence itself may not be too compelling. In the above story, $600 is not a lot of money and Virginia has one of the highest gun ownership percentages in the country.
If over-aggressive prosecutors go against the odds and file drug trafficking charges in such cases, a Leesburg criminal defense lawyer often convinces prosecutors to reduce the charges during plea negotiations.
Most drug trafficking charges are felonies and most drug possession charges are misdemeanors. A misdemeanor doesn’t have the same collateral effects as a felony. These collateral effects include public perception. Most people believe that drug traffickers are bad people and that drug possession is evidence of a drug problem. Furthermore, misdemeanor probation is usually shorter with fewer conditions. So it’s easier to complete probation without incident.
Additionally, deferred disposition is usually available in drug possession cases. If these defendants successfully complete probation, no criminal conviction goes onto their permanent records.
Finally, drug possession convictions are much easier to expunge or seal than felony drug trafficking convictions, at least in most cases.
Rely on a Dedicated Loudoun County Lawyer
There’s a big difference between an arrest and a conviction in criminal law. For a free consultation with an experienced criminal defense attorney in Leesburg, contact Simms Showers, LLP, Attorneys at Law. Office and jail visits are available.
Source:
wjhl.com/news/crime/three-arrested-in-bristol-virginia-drug-bust/
