A 22-year-old man in New York was taken into custody while hosting a dice game in a driveway. Syracuse authorities say money was being exchanged during the game, and the man was also found to be in possession of a controlled substance. He was charged for third- and fourth-degree felony criminal possession of a controlled substance, misdemeanor seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and a violation of gambling laws.
According to reports, the drug charges were a result of items that were discovered in the accused man’s jacket. Police allegedly found three plastic bags containing a beige material that tested positive for cocaine.
A police officer on the scene reported that two of the knotted bags that were discovered on the accused man’s person each weighed 12 grams. Police believe that the quantity indicated that the substance could potentially be broken into several doses. They also noted that the man had no means to use the drugs himself and thus assumed that he was clearly intent on selling. In addition to the bags, officers seized $352 in cash from the accused man.
A person charged after a scenario like this one may want to speak with a criminal defense lawyer about whether or not police officers followed proper protocol. A lawyer may look into whether police officers had a warrant. If the defendant did not provide the officers with consent to be searched without one, a lawyer may argue that any evidence that was seized was taken unlawfully and cannot be presented in court.
Source: syracuse.com, “Syracuse dice gambler facing 3 drug charges“, Jolene Almendarez, October 10, 2014