Two men from California were arrested by Hamilton County, Nebraska police for allegedly possessing thousands upon thousands of illegal marijuana items, as well as a “small quantity” of cocaine. Highway patrol officers claim to have pulled the pair over as they left the I-80 and ran a stop sign. The officers confirm that they were presented with enough suspicious behavior to conduct a vehicle search with probable cause.
While searching the interior of the vehicle, police claim to have found approximately 4,100 illegal items. Most of the items were marijuana edibles but some were also paraphernalia items and THC in liquid form, possibly intended for electronic cigarette use.
The occupants of the vehicle were charged with the following drug crimes:
- Possession of hash oil
- Possession with intent to deliver
- Marijuana possession in an amount greater than one ounce but less than a pound
- Possession of drug paraphernalia
- Possession of a no Drug Tax Stamp
Only one occupant was charged with possession of cocaine.
CAN INTERSTATE DRUG STOPS BE DEFENDED?
While police do not need a search warrant to search a vehicle on the interstate, they may not search without legal justification. Since running a stop sign does not automatically present the suspect as a dangerous criminal, the alleged probable cause the highway patrol officers had at the time of the search could be challenged in court. If a criminal defense attorney can convince the judge that the search was illegal, then all evidence collected because of the illegal search – as in all 4,100 pieces of illegal drug items – would have to be deemed inadmissible and could not influence the outcome of the case.
For more information regarding this ongoing story, interested parties can click here to read a full article posted by KWBE News Channel Nebraska. For drug crime defense, the Berry Law can be reached by calling 402.817.6550. The firm’s Nebraska drug defense lawyers offer free consultations to prospective clients.
