Police arrest man at Jacksonville garage, alleging he sold drugs twice to undercover officers

A Jacksonville man was arrested on drug charges after police say detectives bought drugs from him twice and police found more drugs when they came to arrest him. The 36-year-old man is facing several felony drug charges after being arrested this month, according to a report in the Florida Times-Union. Police bought marijuana in December and January from the man at the auto repair business where he worked, the newspaper reported. When police went to make the arrest, they then found powder and crack cocaine, along with other narcotics and several thousand dollars in cash, the newspaper reported.

The man was charged with four separate charges of possession with intent to sell – one each for cocaine, opiates, marijuana and steroids. The charges involving cocaine and opiates are both second degree felonies with a maximum sentence of 15 years in state prison. The charges involving marijuana are third-degree felonies punishable by up to five years in state prison. In fact, the charge for actually selling marijuana to an undercover officer is also only a third-degree felony. So, having cocaine and planning to sell it can lead to 10 more years in prison than actually selling marijuana. This case exemplifies the fact that the charges in Jacksonville Drug Crimes Cases are based primarily on two main factors: the type of drug the person is accused of possession or selling, and the amount of the drug police allege the person possesses. The court system does not look at all drugs equally, and places much stricter penalties on crimes involving cocaine than it does on crimes involving marijuana.

In this Jacksonville Drug Crimes Case, though, the initial contact was around the sale of marijuana. In most Jacksonville Drug Crimes Cases involving the sale of drugs to undercover officers, detectives will have some sort of recording of the transaction, most likely an audio recording. That evidence will be critical to the case and there are several important policies and procedures police must follow in order for the recordings to be admissible in court. Our experienced Jacksonville Drug Crimes Attorney represents people accused of all types of Jacksonville Drug Crimes and can review the evidence the state plans to present and determine if it meets the strict standards of the court.

If you or a loved one needs a criminal defense attorney in Jacksonville or the surrounding area, call The Mussallem Law Firm at (904) 365-5200 for a FREE CONSULTATION. Our Duval County Drug Crimes Attorney, Victoria “Tori” Mussallem, is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.