On May 17, Florida authorities said that five people were taken into custody on drug charges following a year-long investigation. The arrests were made following the execution of a search warrant at a residence located in the 6000 block of Barnes Street in Milton.
Authorities reportedly forced their way into the home after the residents did not respond to knocking. They found four people in the home. One person attempted to flee the scene but was quickly taken into custody. Another person, who was identified as a 41-year-old man, was transported to a nearby hospital after it was believed that he had overdosed on drugs. A fifth person was taken into custody after he drove up to the home. He allegedly had methamphetamine in his possession.
Evidence that was collected at the home during the search included a variety of drugs, such as methamphetamine, morphine and Alprazolam. The four other accused individuals were identified as a 32-year-old Gulf Breeze woman, a 40-year-old man whose residence was not reported, a 51-year-old Pace woman and a 40-year-old Milton woman. They were all charged with a variety of misdemeanor and felony drug offenses.
Both misdemeanor and felony drug charges can have serious legal consequences. However, when a person is being accused of drug crimes, authorities must follow proper procedures if they want to search a residence for drugs. If they illegally search a home, any evidence that they find may be deemed inadmissible in court. A criminal defense attorney may review the case and search for any weaknesses surrounding the methods the authorities used to obtain the evidence. If it is found that the authorities violated the defendant’s rights, the case could ultimately be dismissed.
Source: NWF Daily News, “Five arrested in massive drug bust“, May 18, 2017
