A 31-year-old woman is facing drug-related charges after the Florida Highway Patrol stopped her for a window tint violation and found drugs in her car. The woman also had her 4-year-old and 11-month-old with her. The trooper noticed the smell of marijuana. The woman consented to a search and said her husband was also one of the car’s drivers and that she had packed the car with a friend. A second trooper arrived and removed the children from the vehicle.
Reportedly, the trunk of the car contained a block of cocaine in a Walmart bag. A safe contained a bag of cocaine, marijuana and illegal mushrooms. A suitcase had two large bags of THC hash in it and 13 bags of marijuana. The arrest report also stated that in the middle console there was drug paraphernalia.
The woman denied any knowledge of the drugs. She was charged with possession of a hallucinogen, cocaine trafficking and possession of cocaine and marijuana. The children were released to their grandmother.
A conviction on drug trafficking can have serious consequences. A person who is facing these types of charges may want to talk to an attorney about options. One thing an attorney might look into is how the person was taken into custody. In this case, the woman consented to the search, but if the search and seizure or any other aspect of the investigation is illegal, some evidence could be dismissed. If the woman in this case maintains that she did not know about the drugs, she might plead not guilty and go to trial. Another option might be a plea bargain which involves pleading guilty, usually to lesser charges, to receive a lighter sentence.
Source: CBS 12, “FHP: Florida mom found with block of cocaine, young kids in car“, Gary Detman, Jan. 9, 2018
