An alleged drug dealer is back in police custody after a raid of his home, according to local sources. Arkansas police suspected the man, who was currently on parole for a separate charge, of drug crimes. He now faces several new charges, including possession of a firearm and several drug-related offenses. No court date has been announced at this time.
According to the limited information available in the report, police raided the man`s home in Weiner on Sept. 10. The cause for the raid was not mentioned in the report. However, they say they discovered a wide variety of illegal items in the home. Among them was a .45 caliber handgun, which the man would be forbidden from owning as a parolee.
Police also found what they believed to be methamphetamine and marijuana. Baggies, a scale, several syringes and three glass pipes believed to be meth pipes were also found in the home. These items have increased suspicion that the man may have been dealing drugs, which may have been the crime for which he was already on parole. It is not clear at this time whether he remains in police custody or if he has retained criminal defense counsel.
Drug crimes are taken very seriously in the state of Arkansas, where possession and dealing can net hefty jail sentences and other penalties. However, the burden of proof remains on the prosecutors to ensure the man is indeed guilty of the crimes before he is sentenced for them. At the same time, his criminal defense counsel will be responsible for reviewing the facts of the case to ensure authorities respected his constitutional rights at all times during the search of his home, and that proper warrants were filed. If any part of the legal process was handled improperly, it could influence the court’s decision and may even result in the case being thrown out.