Category Archives: Drug Crimes
Counterfeit Pills Under Florida Drug Laws
When you think of a typical drug deal, visions of seedy individuals exchanging money for heroin, cocaine, crystal meth, or other controlled substances may come to mind. However, a recent report from Tampa’s WFTS ABC Action News highlights another side of Florida drug crimes: trafficking in counterfeit pills. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement… Read More »
19 Arrested on Multiple Charges in Volusia County Meth Ring
An investigation that began in July finally came to a conclusion in late October 2016 as 19 individuals were arrested in connection with operation of a methamphetamine operation. According to Central Florida’s ABC affiliate WFTV News 9, the ring and its two kingpins had been distributing meth for over five years at a rate… Read More »
The Use of Circumstantial Evidence in Proving Constructive Possession of Contraband
The major tenet of our criminal justice system is the idea that one is innocent until proven guilty. To be proven guilty in criminal proceedings, the burden of proof is on the state and its prosecution team to put forth enough evidence that proves every element of the crime for which the criminal defendant… Read More »
New Precedent of Finding Doctors Criminally Liable for Overprescribing Dangerous Drugs
Doctors in our society are asked to take the Hippocratic Oath upon confirmation of their degree. The Hippocratic Oath requires doctors to affirm that they will act in ways that will benefit and cure the sick, that they will respect the life of human beings, and in addition to the oath, that they will… Read More »
Contraband Forfeiture Law Reformed: Limits “Policing for Profit”
Since the 1980s, there has been a nationwide practice that permits law enforcement officials to seize any property that they believe to have been acquired through illegal means. In the 1980s, the practice, more colloquially known as “policing for profit,” was used by police officers to seize and retain all property and money that… Read More »
False Positives of Field Drug Tests Leading to Drug Arrests and Incarcerations
The war on drugs has led to hundreds of thousands of long-term sentences for drug-related felonies. Drug-related felonies have been a significant target of the criminal justice system, and in-field tools and tests help law enforcement officials to not only identify controlled substances but to test the drugs at the time that the law… Read More »
The Crackdown on “Designer Drugs”
The Internet and other technology has been incredibly useful for educating those in many knowledge-based pursuits. More people are finding access to education and learning skill-sets that in the past would have been too expensive or inaccessible to them. The problem comes when this access provides those with bad intentions the opportunity to use… Read More »
Drugs and Guns Sold Separately: What Difference Does It Make in Florida?
Suppose you’re involved in a drug dealing operation, but that you’re hardly the “main guy.” You make street-level transactions, obtain drugs from those above you in the cartel, and return cash to your suppliers. Suppose also that you happen, separate from that enterprise, to be in the business of selling illegal firearms. In order to protect… Read More »