Evidence in Howard County Drug Cases
Drug charges are prosecuted intensely in Howard County. The state is not likely to let any kind of drug offense go, with the exception of the possession of under 10 g of marijuana which not prosecuted very heavily because they are just civil offenses.
However, because Howard County is a fairly wealthy county, per capita, drug crimes tend to be prosecuted pretty intensely here. Law enforcement and the prosecutor’s office don’t drop cases unless they have an extremely good reason why they should and they will always issue citations in a situation where they can.
Therefore if you are charged with a drug offense it is likely in your best interest to consult with a Howard County drug lawyer. Call today and schedule a free consultation to discuss your case.
What Do Prosecutors In Howard County Need To Prove For A Drug Conviction?
The first and most important thing that they are going to need to prove is possession. Now possession can be proven in several different ways. It can be as simple as the individual was holding the object in their hand or in their pocket. That is probably the easiest type of possession case for the prosecution to prove.
They can also prove constructive possession. Basically, this is when an individual is able to exercise dominion or control over a substance—so, if an individual receives a package in the mail that they signed for, they bring it into their house. Under these circumstances, even if the individual doesn’t open the package, the prosecution could prove constructive possession to the court with that set of circumstances.
The other places where you will see constructive possession would be if drugs are found in a vehicle, even if they are not in the individual’s pocket, but they are inside the console. The driver will likely be charged with possession under the theory that he or she is able to exercise dominion or control over the drugs that are within arm’s reach.
How Do The Prosecutors Go About Proving Their Case?
Prosecutors attempt to prove guilt through a couple of different ways.
- It can be proven just through the sheer quantity of the drugs. If an individual is caught in possession with 20 pounds of marijuana, they are obviously going to charge it as possession with intent because 20 pounds is far more than any individual will have for personal use.
- The other ways they can prove it is through some of the objects that were around the individual at that time, like baggies, having drugs in separate baggies all weighing the same, large amounts of cash, scales- those types of things will all go towards proving possession with intent to distribute. Primarily the state is going to do it just through sheer quantity.
Prosecutors won’t normally charge possession with intent in a case where there are just a couple of grams of the substance in question.