San Bernardino Cocaine Trafficking Probe
In November 2008, the Press-Enterprise reported in a story on the developments in a large-scale federal cocaine trafficking probe in San Bernardino County. A criminal complaint in San Bernardino Superior Court names 19 defendants and includes felony counts for a range of offenses associated with a criminal drug case.
California drug trafficking cases often involve multiple charges originating from different sections of the federal Controlled Substances Act. In the San Bernardino drug probe, some of the charges mentioned in the Press-Enterprise story are conspiracy, cocaine transportation, and possessing cocaine for sale.
Any one of these charges is quite serious for the defendants involved. Depending on the quantities of cocaine involved in the case, first-time offenders listed as defendants in this case and charged with possessing cocaine for sale could receive up to 10 years in prison as a minimum sentence. Prior felony drug convictions increase jail time and other penalties by a considerable amount.
A cocaine trafficking case must establish beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendants in possession of the cocaine intended to sell the drug. When the defendants in the San Bernardino drug crime case are tried, the prosecuting attorney will point to the amount of cocaine possessed, as well as any suspicious amounts of cash found in the defendants’ possession as being proof of intent to distribute.
In the San Bernardino case, the prosecuting attorneys will attempt to use allegations made by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) investigators who claim that the defendants made numerous pick-ups and deliveries of cocaine during the course of the month-long investigation—allegedly totaling over 1,200 pounds of cocaine.
Drug crimes charges are a serious matter at any scale, from simple possession to felony trafficking charges, and deserve the attentions of an experienced California drug crimes lawyer. Contact us for a free case evaluation.
