Fort Lauderdale Criminal Law Blog

If the allegations prove true, a Florida corrections officer may be looking at the other side of prison bars. After a raid, the accused guard faces multiple counts of drug possession with intent to sell, weapons possession and other charges.

Police in Hollywood were investigating a potential drug trafficking operation in the city and obtained a search warrant. After obtaining the warrant, law enforcement officials uncovered a cache of illegal substances, including heroin, cocaine, fentanyl and methamphetamines. Firearms, ammo, cash and drug paraphernalia were also discovered and confiscated.

For now, it is still illegal to possess recreational marijuana in Florida. However, it is also illegal for police officers to illegally search someone's vehicle in order to find evidence. Those two issues are the center of a current criminal case in Miami-Dade County.

According to media reports, the case involves a male defendant who was arrested on drug charges in 2018 after police officers claimed they could smell marijuana coming from his vehicle. During the search, the officers found over 20 grams of marijuana and an undisclosed amount of cocaine. The defendant, who does not have a Florida medical marijuana card, was charged with possession of cannabis over 20 grams, possession of cannabis with the intent to sell or deliver and possession of cocaine.

Florida has a state law that aims to prevent teens under 16 from being out in public places late at night. These laws are generally intended to protect teens' safety as well as cut down on petty crimes. The Florida curfew bars minors from being out in public places between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. between Sundays and Thursdays except in the case of legal holidays.

In addition, the curfew law bars minors from being out late at night between 12:01 a.m. and 6 a.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, so even non-school days are restricted. In addition, teens who have been suspended or expelled from school face an additional restriction: They cannot be in public between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. during school days and also cannot go within 1,000 feet of the school. A minor will receive a written warning if they are found on the street during these hours. After receiving an initial written warning, minors would receive a civil infraction and be fined $50 for each subsequent violation.

Members of a Florida motorcycle gang pleaded guilty to allegations of distributing methamphetamine, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Orlando said on Feb. 4. The members of Pagan's Motorcycle Club, a banned "outlaw" gang, hailed from a number of areas across the state. They were accused of drug charges, including conspiring to distribute large amounts of methamphetamine in the Central Florida area to both group and individual customers.

The motorcycle club members involved in the case included two 33-year-old men and one 47-year-old man. One 33-year-old man was considered an "enforcer" for the Pagans in Daytona Beach. The 47-year-old man was accused of being part of a 13-member group directing drug distribution and other activities for the motorcycle gang. Not all of the people involved in the case were motorcyclists, however. A 47-year-old woman from Ormond Beach, a 41-year-old man and 51-year-old woman from Oak Hill, a 49-year-old man from New Smyrna Beach and five people from Daytona Beach also pleaded guilty to a variety of charges.