Articles about Connecticut Drug Crimes – from the news
Couple faces serious drug charges in Stamford
A Connecticut man and his girlfriend faced a very difficult situation after law enforcement officials pressed charges against them as the result of a five-month investigation into drug activities. The investigation resulted in the police using search warrants to enter the man’s apartment where they found a substantial amount of drugs and drug paraphernalia. Additionally, after conducting a strip search on the man’s girlfriend, they found additional drugs and paraphernalia. Both now face multiple criminal charges.
Because the prosecutors were building a case against the two long before they named them as suspects, they face a disadvantage in that having a limited time to seek adequate counsel and build a defense strategy before the prospect of lengthy trial proceedings. Further, when law enforcement accuses two familiar parties of committing a crime together, they may face the added burden of distinguishing their actions from those of their counterpart. Engaging a skilled criminal defense attorney can help the defendants receive the best outcome in such a circumstance.
Drug dogs less reliable in traffic stop searches
Being arrested for a drug crime doesn’t mean you can’t prove your innocence even if the evidence against you looks bad. Even with the best intentions, investigators make mistakes, and all suspects are innocent until proven guilty. Because of this, people facing charges in the Fairfield County area need to retain proper legal counsel to ensure the facts dictate the outcome of the case.
Investigators often use drug-sniffing dogs in their prosecution of the war on drugs, and just like humans, dogs can make mistakes too. According to a report published in the journal Forensic Science International, drug-sniffing dogs have the hardest time making accurate identifications during traffic stop scenarios.
According to the report, these highly trained dogs committed false alerts 22 percent of the time when they only had access to the outside of the vehicle.
According to researchers in the United States and Poland, drug-sniffing dogs correctly identified the presence of drugs 58 percent of the time overall; however, the number of false alerts jumped to 36 percent when dogs had access to the interior of the vehicle. Drug-sniffing dogs performed the best when they searched individual rooms in which they had previously been exposed to before a given search.
Many scenarios can lead to a person being arrested or charged with a drug crime. Even if a person is completely innocent, he or she should take the charges seriously. Seeking the help and expertise of a criminal defense attorney is usually a very good idea for anyone in this situation.
Source: “Drug dogs most likely to err in traffic stop scenarios”
Man accused of dealing drugs then faced with weapons charges
When prosecutors charge a person with a crime in the Fairfield county area, it begins a lengthy process to determine whether he or she is convicted and spends any time in prison. It’s important for anyone facing criminal charges to understand that he or she is innocent until proven guilty, even if the evidence looks bad. Retaining a qualified criminal defense attorney can help ensure that he or she receives the best outcome for every step of the process.
A Bridgeport man faced several serious criminal charges after being the subject of a lengthy investigation. According to reports, Police accused the man had of selling drugs and illegally possessing a weapon. Investigators arrested the 45-year-old man in January after they allegedly found a gun and illegal prescription drugs in his home.
The man had officially been charged with criminal possession of a pistol, selling prescription medication, sale of narcotics, illegal manufacturing of drugs, and criminal possession of a firearm. Investigators searched the man’s home in connection to several drug sales that took place in Stratford. However, the report did not state why investigators originally began looking at this man as a suspect in those cases.
Anyone who is facing criminal charges, no matter how serious, should consider contacting an experienced and knowledgeable criminal defense attorney who can help. An attorney can play a key role in determining whether a person is convicted, as well as how long his or her sentence could be if he or she is convicted. Therefore, speaking with a lawyer is a good idea.
Source: “Accused heroin dealer facing drug, weapons charges,”
Man held on bail after arrest for drugs and weapons
Law enforcement officers arrest and charge people with crimes every day. However, not everyone charged with a crime in the Fairfield County area is guilty. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty. Law enforcement officers make mistakes, just like everyone else. Sometimes those mistakes lead to inaccurate or unfair charges or convictions of innocent people. The consequences of drugs and weapons crimes can alter a person’s life forever. When a person is facing criminal charges, he or she must seek the proper defense attorney to help fight the charges brought against him or her. A knowledgeable criminal defense lawyer understands what it takes to fight the charges.
Authorities charged a 24-year-old Middletown man with more than a dozen weapons and drug violations after they found a cache of guns and several ounces of marijuana in his home. Included among the many drug charges the man had faced are possession of marijuana, possession of a hallucinogen, operating a drug factory, and possession with intent to sell. The weapons charges included illegal possession of an assault weapon, possession of a stolen firearm and risk of injury to a minor.
The man said that he bought the assault rifle in a private sale and that he obtained a pistol in question from another man who owed him money. He also claimed that he had bought the shotgun from a gun store. Authorities had held the man with bail set at $350,000.
Source: “Pot, $14,000 cash and a ‘small arsenal’ found in Middletown man’s apartment, police say”
Man escapes probation violation, sentenced to lockdown treatment
Prosecutors change people ever day in the Fairfield County area, like anywhere else, with drug crimes. However, not everyone charged with a drug crime did so with the intent of committing criminal acts. Some people make honest mistakes, which can lead to charges. Other people make poor choices while they are trying to overcome drug dependencies.
Police initially arrested a man for a probation violation, but he has now been sent to a corrections facility to spend several months in a locked-down substance abuse treatment center. However, the judge sentenced the man to the treatment center for a separate crime. The man recently pleaded guilty to attempting to sell three Adderall pills in Norwalk.
In this most recent hearing, prosecutors withdrew the probation violation against the man after he agreed to a plea deal, which included the time in the community-based corrections facility (CBF). He also agreed to a $250 fine and his license was suspended for six months. According to court papers, the man had experienced some success in his drug treatment program in the past but had a relapse. The judge at the hearing said he was hopeful that the time in the CBCF would help the man get back on track.
Drug crimes are always serious. Prosecutors tend to seek the harshest penalties for those who they have charged with drug crimes. However, having an experienced criminal defense attorney can help a person who is facing drug charges get the best defense possible. If someone is facing these kinds of charges, he or she should consider meeting with a lawyer.
Source: Norwalk Reflector, “Norwalk man sent to CBCF for selling Adderall”
Medical pot: what’s legal, what’s not?
In Stamford and across the state, thousands of people each year receive stiff fines and jail time for the possession, distribution, and growth of marijuana. The drug is federally designated as a “schedule 1” drug offense, bringing with it the most stringent of sentences. However, like many states across the nation, Connecticut’s approach to marijuana and the medically beneficial uses the drug may provide is maturing toward a more modern and comprehensive position.
The legislature legalized medicinal cannabis use in Connecticut in 2012. However, before residents jump to conclusions about a free and unfettered marijuana culture, a few key points should be considered.
Most important, officials are still determining the means of growing and distributing medical marijuana to patients. However, some things are already clear: chain pharmacies like CVS or Walgreens will not carry medicinal pot. Because of this, local pharmacies will serve as dispensaries, and patients will be allowed to be prescribed up to 2 ½ ounces at a time only after registering with the state and gaining a doctor’s approval.
For those suffering from chronic, debilitating pain, medicinal marijuana may prove to be a perfect solution to the symptoms that keep them from enjoying life as they should.
Still, for those planning to buy, sell, grow, or distribute recreational pot, legal consequences could are severe. Driving under the influence of marijuana can also quickly result in a DUI. If marijuana-related drug charges become a reality, talking with a criminal defense attorney is the best first step toward a potentially lessened charge or outright “not guilty” verdict.
Source: WTNH, “A closer look at Connecticut’s medical marijuana law”
New court offers vets a recourse from prison time
Drug crimes frequently have their beginnings in legal and necessary medical use. Prescribed medication can become dependence and abuse, driving once law-abiding citizens to unprecedented and out of character behavior to continue feeding their addictions.
One group that often finds itself in this situation is the population of military veterans. Treatment programs often prescribe pain medication and anti-depressants to help them recover from their time in armed service. However, once their treatment ends, veterans may commit unplanned criminal acts to feed their runaway addiction to medications intended to help them. Now, special court systems have been implemented in Connecticut and other states to treat and correct offending veterans, keeping them out of prison and headed back toward social participation.
Veterans who have been charged with nonviolent drug crimes now may participate in veterans court. Like drug courts, the systems are designed to forego jail time in exchange for counseling, rehab meetings, and participation in the Veterans Administration’s treatment programs.
In weekly meetings which stress the connection between veterans in need of drug help and other veterans who can best understand their experience, the offenders work toward staying clean and finding a medical and personal path that will ensure they don’t break the law again.
Based on the understanding that the substances themselves are often at the root of the crime, rather than a malicious or criminal mind, almost 100 veterans’ courts operate in 27 states, with more than 100 more planned for the future across the nation.
Connecticut offers a treatment for veterans facing criminal drug charges without a violent past that is more rehabilitation than punishment and can, above all, help bring honored veterans back from the dangers of substance abuse. Working with an attorney specializing in criminal defense law can help explore this and other legal options, bettering the likelihood of an outcome that doesn’t include steep jail time
Source: CT Post “Special courts aim to keep vets clean, out of jail,” Meg Kinnard, Nov. 25, 2012
Some drug crimes may be exempt from minimum sentences
While the institution of mandatory minimum sentences may be intended to deter potential offenders and enforce a strict stance on crime, it also fails to acknowledge key factors in individual cases. It’s for that reason, among others, that U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is endorsing changes to how some drug crimes are prevented and addressed in Connecticut and states around the country.
Right now, jails across the nation hold close to 10 million inmates. Of the more than 200,000 people currently incarcerated in federal prisons today, around half are serving sentences for drug crimes. Many may consider that to be alarming, given that the prison system is operating well above capacity. That’s why Holder is suggesting an alternative approach to the war on drugs that could lower prison populations while combatting crime at the community level.
The “Smart on Crime” initiative, as the Attorney General calls it, encourages local and state governments to concentrate their efforts on areas with high criminal activity and promote drug prevention and treatment programs in place of incarceration. He also notes that prosecutors should consider federal drug charges with discretion on a case-by-case basis.
Multiple states have implemented similar strategies to great success, according to Holder. He explains that keeping some low-priority, non-violent offenders out of prison and into supervision and treatment programs may reduce the number of repeat offenses.
The Attorney General also contended that entire communities could benefit from eliminating mandatory minimum sentences. He even hints at providing an option to release some non-violent, elderly drug offenders early. By prioritizing drug prevention and treatment, such policies may help to decrease prison populations while better serving the public.
Source: NPR, “Holder Proposes Changes In Criminal Justice System”
Traffic stop turns into serious drug bust
Most people, both in Connecticut and across the country, have been through a routine traffic stop. Whether it be on account of out-of-date license tabs, an illegal lane change, or speeding, being stopped by a police officer can be an expensive, but often temporary inconvenience.
For some officers of the Bridgeport police force, a simple traffic stop became far more serious after multiple drug substances were discovered in a vehicle that had illegally crossed into an oncoming lane.
The incident took place on East Main Street in Bridgeport. Upon approaching the vehicle, officers noticed a strong smell of marijuana and saw smoke billowing out of the car’s opened window. Upon searching the car, they discovered almost 23 grams of marijuana, in addition to two Oxycodone pills.
The officers arrested the three men in the vehicle on drug charges that included possession of marijuana, possession of narcotics, and carrying a prescription drug without its original containers. The men, all from Bridgeport, were held on $20,000 bond.
When a minor traffic stop becomes much more serious, defendants should take immediate action to begin building their defense case. Criminal charges can often be lessened or dismissed through successful litigation. Working with a criminal defense attorney can make it easy to both illuminate and utilize these possibilities.
Source: CT Post, “Three men face drug charges,” Jan. 10, 2013
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