On March 12, a California man who pleaded guilty to trafficking nearly $1 million in cocaine was sentenced to five years of mandatory supervision. The 31-year-old man’s co-defendant, a 30-year-old man, had pleaded guilty to the same charges and was given the same sentence in late February.
According to the report, the two men were traveling north on Interstate 15 in a 1999 Chevrolet Malibu when agents with the U.S. Border Patrol directed them to pullover at the checkpoint. A K9 team searched the vehicle and indicated that drugs may be inside. A manual search was then conducted. About 76 pounds of cocaine in 32 bundles were reportedly found in concealed spaces near the front wheel wells and bumper. The two men were taken into custody.
The two men were charged with transportation of controlled substances for sale and being in possession of more than 4 kilograms of the drug. As part of an agreement for each man pleading guilty, a possession of controlled substance for sale charge was dropped. While neither man was sentenced to jail, both were sentenced to mandatory supervision, which is a form of probation.
When a person is accused of trafficking or selling drugs, the consequences can be severe depending on the evidence the authorities have against the accused person. However, there are certain procedures that the authorities must follow when investigating a possible drug trafficking case. For example, they must have probable cause to stop and search a vehicle. A criminal law attorney may challenge the charges if it is found that the authorities did not follow proper procedures when attempting to secure evidence. If it is found that the vehicle search was illegal, the evidence may not be used in court, potentially leading to a dismissal of the charges.
Source: Murrieta Patch, “Man Who Helped Bring $1 Million In Cocaine To SWR Gets Probation“, 03/12/2018