Two women from New Jersey were accused of drug possession after a police officer pulled over their vehicle on July 16. According to the report, the officer pulled over the SUV after noticing that it had a suspended registration.
The 2000 Jeep Cherokee was stopped at about 1 a.m. in a convenience store parking lot. The responding officer reportedly saw evidence of drug use during the stop which led to an investigation of the vehicle. The search yielded 16 bags of heroin and drug use paraphernalia from the 40-year-old female front seat passenger. Two bags of heroin were recovered from the 57-year-old female driver of the Jeep. Both individuals were taken into custody.
The 40-year-old woman was ultimately charged with being in possession of heroin, possession of drug paraphernalia and distribution of heroin, among other charges. She posted $25,000 bail. The 57-year-old woman was charged with possession of heroin and for having a suspended vehicle registration, among other charges. It was not known if she remained in custody.
People who are charged with a drug crime could face serious consequences that could potentially include incarceration. In some cases, a criminal defense attorney could dispute the charges on the basis that the drugs did not belong to the defendant or if the search that led to the seizure of the drugs was not properly conducted. If the defendant does not have any prior drug convictions, the attorney could potentially negotiate with the prosecution to reduce the charges or have the defendant attend and complete a drug rehabilitation program in lieu of a sentence.
Source: Toms River Patch, "Toms River Woman Charged With Heroin Possession, Distribution", Karen Wall, July 21, 2015