Possession of drugs charges is typically brought because a person was caught with drugs on them. Most of the time, these charges are going to occur when the police already have a reason to speak with the person. However, that doesn’t mean the person will be found guilty. Drug Defense Attorneys may be able to help the person avoid a conviction.
Reason to Stop the Person
A police officer must have a reason to stop a person whether they’re walking or driving. They cannot have someone pull over a vehicle just to randomly search for drugs, and they cannot stop someone walking down the street just because they want to. If there was not a valid reason for stopping the person, such as to give them a traffic ticket, the case may be dismissed because the drugs would not have been found if the officers followed proper procedures.
Reason to Search the Person or Vehicle
Along with needing a reason to stop the person, a police officer must have permission or a reasonable belief there are drugs in the vehicle or on the person to conduct a search. If the person declines the search and the officer has no reasonable belief there could be anything illegal in the vehicle, they cannot search it. If they search the vehicle anyway, it’s possible a lawyer can have the case dismissed due to unlawful search and seizure.
Reasonable Belief, the Drugs, Did Not Belong to the Person
If an officer stops a vehicle and has reasonable belief there are drugs in the car, they can go ahead and search it. If drugs are found, the driver will likely be arrested. If the drugs did not belong to the driver and they did not know the drugs were in the vehicle, it’s possible a lawyer can have them found not guilty in court. This is done by showing there’s reasonable doubt the driver was the owner of the drugs found and that there’s a chance they belonged to someone else, like a passenger in the vehicle.
These are just a few of the ways Drug Defense Attorneys can help an arrested person avoid a conviction. If you have been caught with drugs and arrested, contact an attorney now to see what they can do to help you. Visit us now to learn more. You can also follow them on Twitter for more information.
