It goes without saying that postal service investigations rarely turn out well for those who receive marijuana products by mail. Drug dogs and search warrants will conspire to reveal the contents of suspicious packages before they reach the mailbox. At that point, the recipients face a Hobson’s choice: either snitch on friends or cop to […]
Did you know the postal inspector examines hundreds of suspicious packages each week at the Des Moines mail processing center for narcotics and drug proceeds? What factors make some packages stand out from others? Here are the top 5: Fictitious name, address or telephone number. People who ship narcotics often provide fake information to avoid […]
If you order a controlled substance from an overseas pharmacy without a valid prescription, then you risk having the package intercepted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The Code of Federal Regulations, particularly 21 C.F.R. sections 1312.11 and 1312.12, prohibits the importation of controlled substances without the express authorization of the DEA. The unauthorized importation […]
If a person approves and agrees to the commission of a drug crime, then he will be treated the same as the person who is accused of actually committing the crime. This is referred to as “aiding and abetting.” How does a person aid and abet a drug crime? It’s simple. Either he actively participates […]
In State v. Hummell, No. 19-1691 (Nov. 30, 2020), the Iowa Court of Appeals reminds the criminal defense bar that a defendant’s knowledge of contraband can be inferred from evidence. The facts are pretty straightforward. Police seized a broken glass vial with a white powdery substance from Hummell’s pocket following his arrest. Hummell claimed that […]
In United States v. Jones, 565 U.S. 400 (2012), the Supreme Court announced that any physical intrusion onto a personal “effect,” such as a vehicle parked on a public street, was a search under the Fourth Amendment when done for the purposes of gathering information. Most attorneys and judges understand Jones to be the “GPS […]
Things to Keep in Mind When Traveling With any Contraband.
Federal Possession of Narcotics and Weapons charges dismissed following successful motion to suppress evidence challenging legality of law enforcement’s search of defendant’s property.
Illegal police conduct results in critical evidence being ruled inadmissible in federal drug and gun prosecution.
