Anyone who is arrested in Florida might think that they have no options in the immediate aftermath of being detained. Sure, most people know some of their basic constitutional rights, but today’s society also seems to be in the grips of the most “guilty until proven innocent” phase as it has ever been. Arrestees may believe that they have been tried in the court of “public opinion” within hours of being arrested.
This may be particularly true when it comes to drug arrests, which law enforcement officials love to tout in the news. There may be grand proclamations about the amount of drugs seized, and some may even refer to these seizures as “career busts.” However, the more that criminal defendants know about their constitutional rights and defense options in the aftermath of a drug arrest, the better equipped they will be to attempt to mount a sound defense strategy.
One of the primary tools that a defendant could use as a defense strategy in a drug case is to attempt to get illegally seized evidence suppressed. This means that the evidence would not be able to be admitted in court against the defendant. Evidence could be suppressed if, for example, a defendant’s constitutional rights were violated in order to seize the evidence, such as when law enforcement officers conduct a search without probable cause or a valid warrant.
Every case is different, so every defense strategy could be equally different. But, in Florida, the one thing that criminal defendants can count on is that prosecutors and law enforcement officials take drug cases very seriously. Defendants should too. For more information about how our law firm might be able to help, please visit the drug charges overview section of our website.