While police and prosecutors take drug use and possession seriously, criminal charges for these crimes are generally much less severe than the charges for drug manufacturing and drug trafficking. Drug charges for the manufacturing, cultivation or trafficking of drugs in Oregon are generally felonies and are subject to sentencing guidelines.
These guidelines have been created to deter drug rings. Under these guidelines, people are likely to receive much more than one year in prison. In some cases, violent offenders have shorter sentences than those facing drug trafficking charges.
In a recent Oregon case, two people have both been charged with various drug charges relating to the manufacturing and distribution of methamphetamine. The man and the woman were stopped by police while driving a Kia near Highway 97 in Redmond. According to police, they stopped the vehicle for traffic violations including failure to signal and failure to drive within a lane.
At some point during the stop, police decided to deploy their K9 unit to search the car. It is unclear what information they received in the stop which made them feel this was necessary. However, police say that once the search was underway, the man jumped out of the car and tried to run from police by swimming across a nearby canal. Once he had completed the swim, he was arrested on the other side.
In the search, the police allege to have found over nine ounces of meth in the car. These drugs have been valued at around $11,000. Following the incident, both were charged with meth possession, distribution and manufacture.
These two people will now need to begin their criminal defense. Part of the defense should include questioning the police stop and search. They may also want to explore other defense options including negotiating with prosecutors to reduce the charges.
Source: KTVZ, "Redmond drug bust nets 2 -- despite canal swim," Barney Lerten, May 8, 2013
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