Three men in Orange County have been charged with various drug crimes after police officers in Placentia found hallucinogens and other drugs following a stakeout in a local neighborhood. According to a news report, police reportedly found cocaine, marijuana, heroin, illegal prescription pills, ecstasy pills as well as psilocybin; the active component in illegal hallucinogenic mushrooms. Police said they organized the stakeout after anonymous citizen informants told them about illegal drug activity in the area.
Drug charges are extremely serious in Orange County and Los Angeles County and come with severe consequences including jail or prison time. The drug charges are usually based on quantity, whether the drugs were possessed for personal use or possession for sale, intent to sell or distribute; and other factors such as evidence of weapons possession or use, drug transportation or sales, large amounts of cash and so on. The seriousness of drug charges normally depend on the quantity of drugs possessed, the classification under the drug schedule, and the purpose of the possession – whether it was for personal use or for sale.
In many cases, an accusation of drug possession may be based on an “illegal search and seizure” by police. What this means is that the arresting officers may not have followed proper procedures in searching your home, person or vehicle; and the manner in which they seized the drug charges evidence (in this case, the drugs) may not have been lawful. In such situations, a drug case may get thrown out of court if the defense attorney can prove that the defendant’s constitutional rights were violated.
Drug cases usually involve several complex legal issues. If you have been accused of a drug crime, please contact an experienced drug crime defense attorney at Sitkoff & Hanrahan. Our Orange County and Los Angeles County drug crime defense law firm has successfully handled cases ranging from misdemeanor drug possession to serious felony crimes involving sales and transportation of drugs. Please call us at 866-430-8383 for a free consultation and drug case evaluation.
Source report: http://www.topix.com/city/placentia-ca/2009/10/three-arrested-in-connection-with-six-different-illegal-drugs