Need a New Brunswick Defense Lawyer for Charges from a Drug Raid
Most people have seen photographs of videos of drug raids in the newspaper or on TV. They can be dramatic. Police may use a ram to bust open the door, order everyone in a building to the floor, and begin collecting evidence and arresting suspects. But what exactly can happen if your home or a friend’s home is raided for drugs when you are at the home or even just visiting your friend? You may be arrested for drug possession, intent to distribute, manufacting drugs, or even maintaining a controlled dangerous substance production facility. Here are the basics of what happens in drug raids in New Jersey and what you need to know if police search a house that you’re in.
Of course, drug raids are highly tense situations that can involve from a few officers, to a SWAT team, the FBI, or the DEA. Each case will have unique details based on the given situation. If you have been arrested and are now facing drug charges after police raided a home in New Brunswick, Edison, Woodbridge, South Brunswick, Piscataway, Metuchen, East Brunswick, or elsewhere in Middlesex County, contact our criminal defense lawyers now at (732) 659-9600 for help with your specific case. We provide free consultations.
Why can Police Raid a Home in Middlesex County?
Ordinarily, prior to a raid taking place, state or federal officers will have obtained a warrant to search the home, office, or other building in question. They may also have obtained a warrant to arrest the occupant, owner, or suspected occupants. Police may request these warrants based on wiretap evidence, evidence offered by informants, and many other types of potential information. Assuming that law enforcement presents sufficient evidence to justify obtaining search or arrest warrants, a judge may permit them to raid your home or the home of one of your friends. Police may have conducted surveillance outside the location of the raid to determine who may be inside at what time, whether there are weapons inside, and where the entrances and exits to the building are located.
What Happens when a Place gets Raided for Drugs?
Once officers have surveyed a location and obtained applicable warrants, they may then initiate a drug raid. They will often cover entrances and exits, announce themselves, break down a door, and enter the home, ordering all occupants to the floor. They may raid the home after they’ve seen you leave or they may do it while you are home. Once they have entered the home, ordered everyone to the floor, and swept through the house checking for weapons, some officers may began “tossing” the home, or searching cabinets, drawers, dressers, and other containers for evidence of drugs or drug trafficking.
Other officers may check the IDs of the people found in the home. They may then take you into custody if you have a warrant out for your arrest. They may arrest additional occupants of the home if they believe these individuals are involved in illegal drug possession or trafficking. Some of the officers will transport everyone arrested in the home to jail for booking. Officers searching the home will bag and inventory evidence collected in accordance with the search warrant. Damaging items may be used as evidence to prosecute in court.
Officers Raided and Arrested me, but it wasn’t my House
If officers raid a home that you are just visiting, you will likely be detained along with everyone else in the home as officers begin their search and start identifying the people found in the home. Even if you have nothing to do with the drug activity that may be going on in the house, you can be arrested and charged with drug crimes.
While your name likely will not appear on any arrest or search warrant, police can easily arrest and charge you any drugs in your possession. For example, if you just purchased heroin, bought cocaine, have Xanax or Adderall without a prescription, are found with Molly, or you bought another drug from someone selling in the home, you can be charged with any drugs police find on your person.
If officers check your ID and don’t suspect that you’re involved in any way, it is possible that you may be released. However, if there is significant evidence of drug activity in the house, police may assume your involvement regardless and you may be arrested with others in the building at the time. This is all too common in off-campus housing near Rutgers University, particularly in New Brunswick and surrounding towns in the area.
Looking for a Criminal Lawyer for Drug Raid Charges in East Brunswick
If you have been charged with a drug offense after police raided a house or another location, it is critical for you to seek out and get advice from a seasoned criminal defense attorney. You have been caught in a difficult situation and a knowledgeable lawyer can help reduce the chance that you are prosecuted for, or convicted of, the charges against you. Contact us now at (732) 659-9600 to speak with a local Middlesex County criminal lawyer free of charge.
