A traffic stop, an invalid driver’s license, and a dispute with hotel management added up to felony drug charges for a Florida man on the afternoon of July 15. After taking the 37-year-old into custody in his hotel room, Collier County Sheriff’s Office deputies booked him into the agency’s detention facility on multiple drug trafficking and drug possession charges.
The man may be regretting taking his car out on the day in question because it was a routine traffic stop that set the chain of events that resulted in his arrest into motion. During the traffic stop, CCSO deputies allegedly discovered that the man was driving with an invalid driver’s license. They also claim to have found an undisclosed quantity of methamphetamine in his possession. The CCSO report detailing the events does not reveal if the alleged drugs were observed in plain sight.
Deputies obtained a warrant to search the man’s hotel room after noticing plastic bags containing what appeared to be illegal drugs while he was packing his possessions. Hotel management had asked deputies to assist them in evicting the man. Deputies say that a chemical testing kit identified the substance in one of the bags as amphetamine. The ensuing search is said to have yielded about 166 grams of heroin, over 400 grams of methamphetamine, 139 grams of cocaine, 52 grams of testosterone, more than 50 grams of fentanyl, 24 grams of Adderall and a small amount of LSD.
Individuals charged with drug offenses following a law enforcement search often believe that the evidence against them is overwhelming. However, experienced criminal defense attorneys could argue that seized drugs and other items should not be admissible in court if police officers obtained search warrants based on questionable or insufficient probable cause. Attorneys could also call for more thorough analysis when drug charges are based on the results of unreliable field tests.