Most of our work in this criminal defense office is in either Coweta County, Georgia, or Carroll County, Georgia. Growing up, Ryan Brown, a Newnan interstate drug trafficking lawyer, spent much of his time in these areas, and they still feel like home. Because of this experience, Ryan is very familiar with the unique features of these two counties. Both have major interstates running through them, and with major interstates, come drug busts.
Cops love nothing more than to get on the front page of the local paper with a K9 and a few pounds of marijuana. This strokes their ego and may help get them a raise. However, a drug trafficking attorney can help you fight to avoid this outcome.
There are few steps in a roadside drug bust in Newnan. We are about to explore how these stops typically place.
We will explore the biases that cops use to stop drivers who are minding their own business. We will explore how cops use the law to cover for their biases and traffic stops that come from those biases. We will explore the process of that traffic stop, and how folks handle themselves when they find themselves pulled over on the side of Interstate 85 or Interstate 20 and facing a drug arrest.
A pretextual stop is where a cop conducts a traffic stop for an alleged minor traffic offense for the purpose of investigation of different suspected criminal activity. This permits cops to pull over whoever they want whenever they want because it is nearly impossible to drive without committing some sort of traffic violation. So, cops can get away with pulling someone over for being Black, Hispanic, or simply for looking at the officer the wrong way so long as the cop can come up with some traffic violation.
Cops continue to use these pretextual stops because they achieve their goals using them. They want to, at least, make as many drug arrests as possible regardless of your constitutional rights. Another reason is that no one is holding them accountable. Lawyers in Newnan must challenge the stops, and courts must hear the arguments against the interstate drug trafficking charge, and make rulings that require courage.
The officer will approach the vehicle and make some small talk about the alleged traffic violation. A lot of times they’ll forget what it was and won’t even write a ticket for it. When they approach there are a few ways that the cop will proceed.
They will “smell marijuana” despite many times never finding any. When this happens they are going to search the vehicle. When you hear them saying they smell marijuana you should immediately close your mouth and stop talking.
They will ask for your consent to search the vehicle. Politely decline. You have rights. Your rights are meaningless if you don’t use them. And when you consent to a search in Newnan, you make your lawyer’s job exceptionally more difficult as he or she prepares to fight your interstate drug trafficking charges.
Cops have come up with some ridiculous reasons based on their “training and experience” to come up with a probable cause and reasonable suspicion.
They are going to search your car. First, they will ask your permission and you will always say no. Then they will probably search your car anyway. They are going to trample your rights to be free from warrantless searches in the name of the government and the “war on drugs.” They will spill everything out of your car with reckless disregard.
Then, if they find something they will arrest you. If they don’t they’ll give you some traffic tickets and set you on your way. It’s then going to be up to the lawyer to fight your case.
Most traffic stop cases are defended through a motion to suppress. This hearing is a truth-finding expedition that attempts to get to the root of what happened.
We will examine the stop and search to see if they actually had a reason to stop you. Did the officers extend the search too long? Did they exceed the scope of any consent you mistakenly gave? Did they plant evidence? Did they conduct the search in an illegal way? Motions to Suppress are fact-intensive and vary greatly from case to case. The takeaway is that if you were stopped don’t give consent to search and that will give your local lawyer the best chance to challenge your case.
If you were charged with a drug crime stemming from an arrest on the side of I-20 or I-85, don’t hesitate to contact us. A Newnan interstate drug trafficking lawyer can help you and will be happy to chat with you about your case.
J. Ryan Brown Law, LLC
J. Ryan Brown Law, LLC
