Drug charges should never be taken lightly and can result in serious consequences and penalties. A New York City woman was recently left facing drug charges following a traffic stop. According to authorities, the vehicle the woman was in was pulled over for several vehicle and traffic violations but the woman wound up facing drug charges. Police reported they detected evidence of drugs and drug paraphernalia in the vehicle while conducting a roadside interview after stopping the vehicle. Subsequently, police allegedly discovered that one of the vehicle’s occupants possessed crack cocaine.
The 23-year old woman was charged with two felony counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance. A 30-year old man was also charged with a noncriminal violation of unlawful possession of marijuana. Police officers allegedly located marijuana secreted on his person. The driver of the vehicle was issued several traffic tickets.
Whenever police arrest someone for something like drug charges following a routine traffic stop, there are important rules and procedures they must following and if they fail to do so, it may be possible to challenge the charges the accused individual is facing. The procedures and rules that authorities must follow are for the protection of the accused individual and are an important part of the criminal justice processed accused individuals should be familiar with.
A strong criminal defense strategy is based on the rights of the accused individual and the situation they find themselves facing. As a result, it is important for accused individuals to be familiar with their rights and know how to assert them when facing serious criminal charges such as drug charges.
Source: The Post Star, “New York City woman faces drug charges after traffic stop,” Aug. 28, 2017