UNDERCOVER DRUG STING COMES TO A HEAD IN MOBILE

Mobile police conducted a sweep for illegal drug activity in a local neighborhood recently. Police claim that they are seeking 9 people in a total of over 40 cases. In each of the cases, the police allege that the suspect distributed illegal drugs.

Although police only made one arrest of two suspects during the series of raids, they claim to have recovered cocaine and drug paraphernalia. During the course of their sweep, police executed 8 search warrants. In addition to some drugs, police also recovered several firearms.

The raids come at the end of what police described as a three-month undercover project. They claim that undercover officers managed to buy drugs from several suspects.

The two suspects face charges of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance, and one of the two also faces drug possession charges and a possession of drug paraphernalia charge.

The distribution charge is a felony under Alabama law. A conviction for this type of drug crime can land a person in prison for years or even decades. Additionally, fines, probation and other punishments, including the loss of one’s property, are real possibilities.

Although police and prosecutors often take a great deal of care in planning out drug-related investigations, it is important to remember that they can and often do make mistakes.

Sometimes, the police may conduct their investigations contrary to the Constitution or to some other state or federal law. In such cases, key evidence may have to be suppressed, or, in other words, disqualified from the courtroom.

In other cases, law enforcement officers simply did not get the facts straight even despite their best efforts. In either situation, a suspect will want to mount a strong defense as part of his or her effort to avoid the most severe penalties.