9 people accused of dealing heroin in Maryland

A multi-agency drug investigation that purportedly commenced after police noticed an increase in overdoses resulted in the detention of nine people in Annapolis, authorities reported. Police allege the nine people were involved in a heroin-distribution ring.

Over the course of several months, law enforcement agencies worked together on the undercover investigation, which involved police buying drugs from alleged dealers, according to authorities. Police said they identified two groups responsible for the bulk of the heroin distributed in the Annapolis area.

Police reportedly seized about 100 grams of heroin during their investigation. Police indicated that they expect to take more people into custody pursuant to their investigation.

The specific drug charges filed in this case are not clear, but the penalties that accompany drug-related offenses can be severe, ranging from costly fines to lengthy prison sentences. Due to these high stakes, it is crucial for people accused of drug-related offenses to mount an aggressive, multi-pronged defense against the charges.

Law enforcement officials must abide by a strict set of guidelines and follow proper protocol when conducting a drug bust like the one in this particular case. For instance, police are not allowed to search people or their property without probable cause. If the rights of the nine accused people were violated by law enforcement, a criminal defense lawyer might bring this to the court’s attention and argue for the evidence collected at that time to be made inadmissible. Furthermore, the defense lawyer may scrutinize all the police reports and evidence constituting the drug charges for inaccuracies, contradictions and contamination. If the reports and evidence do not pass muster, the attorney may argue for the charges to be reduced or dismissed altogether.

Source: CBS Baltimore, “Annapolis Police Make Series Of Arrests In Heroin Crackdown”, Monique Griego, May 27, 2014