Tag: Drug Charges

A Crow Wing district court sentenced a central Minnesota man to 44 months in prison for possessing over three grams of a controlled substance. He received a second sentence of 39 months for selling narcotics, but the sentences will be served concurrently in the St. Cloud correctional facility, meaning that he will only serve a total of 44 months for both drug charges. During the sentencing, the 26-year-old man received credit for previous time spent in prison.
People that have been convicted of drug crimes and are also receiving benefits from the state are now required to comply with drug tests according to a law passed by the Minnesota Legislature last year. St. Louis County officials have now begun strictly enforcing the law, which replaces the “self-reporting” system that was in place prior to its passing. The new law requires the state court administrator to provide its list of convicted drug felons to the Department of Human Services.
When someone chooses to take a drug, should anyone other than that individual be held responsible if he or she is caught? That is a question that not many of us ask ourselves, but it is one that prosecutors certainly asked the court in a recent drug case. In any other situation, a 30-year-old Minneapolis man accused of selling heroin would be facing drug charges, but because the heroin was used in a fatal overdose, he was recently convicted of third-degree murder.
There are likely many people in Minneapolis who have heard the name Silk Road and they know it is not referring to the Central Asian trade route. Silk Road has been an online marketplace in which drug sellers and buyers could transact their business. For the past two years, the FBI has been looking for the individual behind the website and they have finally arrested the man they believe to be responsible. So, what does that mean for Minnesotans?
Most people in Roseville know that if they are arrested they have the right to remain silent. Many of them also know that they have the right to an attorney and that one can be appointed for them if they can’t afford one. With the number of police shows on television these days, it is surprising that someone wouldn’t know their Miranda rights. Even if they know and understand them, however, there are a number of people who waive their rights and talk to police without ever thinking about the consequences.
While Minnesota does not currently have a medical marijuana law in place, nor does it appear that the state is looking to decriminalize it any time soon, people’s attitudes about the substance are constantly changing. With more and more states passing medical marijuana laws, it is only a matter of time before Minnesota will start making marijuana available to the chronically ill. Until that time comes, however, possession of any marijuana will result in a drug charge.
Most people in Minneapolis know that the state does not have a medical marijuana law, which means that if police find marijuana on you, you will likely be facing criminal charges in Hennepin County. If Minnesota ever decides to pass a medical marijuana law, however, the government is going to have to create clear laws and guidlines for what marijuana is legal and exempt under the law and what is not. Failure to do so could lead to confusion and people who thought they were following the law facing drug charges.
A Minnesota State trooper says that he clocked a car driving six miles over the speed limit on 394 near Penn Avenue November 26. The driver reportedly took the Penn Avenue North exit, but the trooper claims that the driver failed to use a turn signal before exiting the freeway. The alleged minor traffic infractions pale in comparison to the gross misdemeanor DWI and the felony drug charges that the driver now faces after the so-called routine traffic stop.
This kind of situation arises often enough in drug arrests: a person in a vehicle containing drugs is arrested for possession, though it is initially unclear to whom the drugs really belong. In a recent and tragic case in St. Paul, a 20-year-old man was arrested for drug possession after witnessing police officers fatally shoot his uncle.