Three men from Sugar Land, Texas, have been charged with first-degree felony drug delivery charges after they sold a potent synthetic marijuana to undercover police officers who responded to an online advertisement for herbal incense. The police seized 1,188 packages of the synthetic marijuana weighing 12,565 grams. The men were released on $125,000 bond following their arrests.
So-called designer drugs have become the focus of state law enforcement since the passage of a law last year that made them illegal in Texas. A federal law was enacted in July targeting drugs such as synthetic marijuana. With the new state and federal laws in place, it is not surprising that an ad offering wholesale distribution of an herbal incense would draw the attention of Pearland detectives.
Detectives arranged to purchase 1,000 packages of the product at a parking lot. According to the police, the three suspects came to the meeting in a truck filled with synthetic marijuana. The three men were arrested after the sale to the undercover detectives was completed.
Drug offenses, including drug manufacturing and drug delivery, often involve undercover police operations such as what occurred in this case. Legal representation by an experienced criminal defense attorney who is familiar with these types of police operations is essential for defendants who find themselves facing serious charges such as these.
There have been instances that attorneys have demonstrated that the police failed to comply with procedures, which resulted in a reduction of charges. When, as in the case of the Sugar Land suspects, a felony conviction could mean a prison sentence, inspecting any possible weakness in the prosecutor’s case could prove invaluable to the accused men.
Source: The Pearland Journal, “Three Sugar Land men accused of selling drugs to undercover police,” Kristi Nix, Oct. 2, 2012