There are many people in Philadelphia who use illegal drugs. People use marijuana, cocaine, meth, heroin and others. Whether a person uses the drug once in awhile or multiple times a day, it is still illegal. As such, there are many people involved in drug dealing, as well. These drug dealers use many different methods of distributing the drugs in order to evade the authorities. Often times, a network of people is used in order avoid detection. These individuals also get the drugs to lower-level drug dealers by using a variety of methods.
One such method is the mail. This was the method that two Philadelphia men allegedly used to receive drugs. The two men were arrested at a UPS store when they went to pick up two packages. The employees at the UPS store had called the police due to the two suspicious packages. The responding police officers allegedly determined that the packages contained marijuana. When the two men came to the store to pick up the packages allegedly containing marijuana, they were arrested. The two men were charged with multiple offenses, including possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance.
If convicted of drug charges, one may face serious consequences. If a person is convicted of a drug possession charge with the intent to deliver, he or she may even face mandatory jail time. This is determined by a number of factors, including the amount of the drug, the type of packaging, the amount of cash a person possesses at the time of the incident and others.
While the consequences may be severe, there may be legal defenses available to the person. There are many rules that the police must follow when stopping and searching a person and ultimately seizing drugs from them. If the police do not follow these rules, the evidence of the drugs may be suppressed and without the evidence of the drugs, a conviction is less likely.
If a person is convicted of drug dealing in Philadelphia, the consequences can be quite serious. However, simply being charged with a crime does not mean one is guilty and there may be defenses available to the person. Attorneys understand these potential defenses and may be able to protect one’s rights.
Source: The Times Herald, “Police: UPS packages lead to Whitpain drug bust” Linda Finarelli, July 31, 2014
