Anyone who has listened to the news lately knows that the country is in the midst of an opiate crisis. Overdoses caused by these drugs, which include heroin, have skyrocketed, prompting law enforcement to crackdown on those whom they believe are committing drug crimes. This aggression, though, can result in the trampling of legal protections, leading to false accusations and wrongful convictions. This is why it is critical that Ohioans who are facing drug charges think carefully about how best to defend themselves.
Some local residents may need to do this now after being taken into custody for allegedly trafficking fentanyl. According to reports, the founder of a translation services business in Cincinnati arrested after authorities allegedly discovered that she was illegally selling fentanyl through the dark web. The authorities indicate that an undercover officer bought 100 milligrams of the drug.
Additionally, another accused individual allegedly admitted that he shipped up to 35 packages containing illegal fentanyl to individuals who had made purchases through the dark web. This individual claimed that the founder of the company was the one who created the drug packages.
This incident has left the community shocked, as the translation services’ owner was running a successful, legal enterprise that was providing a benefit to the community. Although cases like this may look bleak for an accused individual, there are often ways to poke holes in the case. For example, the individual who accused the company’s founder may have an ulterior motive in making the statements he did, and other individuals may have had access to the computers through which drug sales were made. In other words, those who are facing drug charges, and the potentially severe penalties that can accompany them, should carefully consider how to develop the strongest criminal defense they can muster.
Source: WCPO, “Local business owner accused of importing fentanyl to Cincinnati,” Dan Monk and Craig Cheatham, June 13, 2017