A Florida man has been arrested on drug possession charges after police found him with several bags of marijuana. A local police officer reported that he became suspicious of the 22-year-old suspect after he passed him on a stairwell and smelled the scent of unsmoked marijuana. In fact, police say, the young man, who was later charged with drug possession, opened a bag of marijuana only moments after the officer passed him by on the stairs.
The young Florida man was approached by the policeman after the officer smelled the drug. When questioned, the man told police that he had marijuana. In fact, there were nine bags of the drug on or near him at the time of his arrest. However, the young man has told authorities that he found the drugs on the ground and in a backpack underneath the stairs where he was sitting.
As a result of the police contact, the man was arrested and charged with drug possession with intent to sell. The drugs weighed in at 13 grams measured out in bags, which may have led to some of the criminal accusations made against the accused. The man is expected to appear in court in the coming weeks to face the allegations.
Like all who face drug possession charges in our state, this young man will have a chance to present a defense against the allegations. As he has told police that he found the drugs, explanations surrounding the events just prior to his police contact may be important in this case. If he is able to demonstrate that he was not the possessor of the drugs, and that he really did find them by happenstance, he may be able to successfully avoid the strict punishments that drug crimes carry.
Source: floridatoday.com, “Police: Pot-scented suspect leads to cache of marijuana,” Sept. 24, 2012
