10 Feb 7 Maryland people arrested on marijuana and handgun charges

On behalf of Jack B. Rubin, PA posted in Drug Charges on Tuesday, February 10, 2015.

A traffic stop for speeding in the middle of the night in Kent Narrows led to the arrest of seven people. The Maryland State Police reported that a trooper pulled over a 2013 Kia Sorento SUV on Route 50 at the Kent Narrows bridge. The trooper claimed to smell marijuana and decided to search the vehicle.

According to the police report, the search resulted in the discovery of 5.7 grams of marijuana. Also present was a loaded 9mm Tec-9 handgun. Its magazine was a high capacity one. The report did not state if the drugs and weapon were known to belong to a specific person in the vehicle. The occupants of the SUV were all in their early to mid 20s. They were arrested and taken to the Centreville Barrack. Court records show that all of them posted bond and were released.

Although the criminal charges filed against the people in this traffic stop are serious, the people involved could be able to effectively defend themselves in court. A person in this situation might also benefit from the help of a criminal defense lawyer. For example, the lawyer could argue that such a small amount of marijuana should not result in charges. Furthermore, the handgun could only belong to one of the arrested people. Some of the people in the vehicle may not have even known the handgun was there.

Lawyers frequently help people deal with their drug charges. After reviewing police reports, a lawyer might find problems with the way that the evidence was obtained. For example, a lawyer might ask for charges to be dropped against a client because there was no probable cause for the search to be conducted.

Source: MyEasternShoreMD, “Seven charged with weapons, drug offenses”, Feb. 3, 2015