According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, an Oklahoma man is facing drug charges following a traffic stop that allegedly resulted in the seizure of methamphetamine worth over $1.3 million. A trooper reportedly found over 36 pounds of wrapped methamphetamine bundles hidden in the SUV’s seats.
The driver was originally stopped on a traffic violation near Conway on Interstate 40 on March 5, according to investigators. Officials believe that the drug was brought in from Nogales, AZ, and that it was going to be transported all the way to Oklahoma City. The driver was taken into custody by police on drug charges. As of March 7, he was still in custody on a charge of possession of a controlled substance.
The Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution along with Texas state laws provide protection to citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures. A police officer is required to have probable cause in order to search a person’s vehicle. If the evidence is obtained in violation of the Fourth Amendment or state statutes, the evidence may be excluded from trial by a judge. If a criminal defense attorney discovers that a defendant’s rights were violated during the course of a police search and seizure, he or she may file a motion to have the collected evidence excluded from the trial.
In the event that a search and seizure operation did fall within legal guidelines, there are other options a defense attorney may explore on a defendant’s behalf. If the defendant does not want to face a long trial process, he or she may consider accepting a plea bargain. For example, if a defendant has information that may be considered valuable by law enforcement, a prosecutor may be willing to reduce some penalties in exchange for inside information.
Source: KHOU, “Oklahoma man arrested in $1.3M Texas drug bust“, March 07, 2014