According to a recent report, a 21-year-old civil engineering student at Penn State was arrested for marijuana possession and sales at his apartment. He is facing felony charges for possession with intent to deliver and criminal use of a communication facility, as well as multiple misdemeanors.
A confidential informant reportedly assisted police by telling a detective that the student was selling marijuana and had sold drugs to the informant. A couple of months later, the informant spoke with the student on Snapchat and allegedly made multiple marijuana purchases from him, along with the police.
The police reportedly obtained a search warrant to search the student’s apartment and seized approximately 2.5 pounds of marijuana, fake IDs in his name, $6,000 and drug paraphernalia. Police say that he was selling the drugs from his apartment alone, after purchasing it from a man in Dubois.
If you are facing drug charges, there may be defenses available. In cases involving a police informant, you may be able to argue the defense of entrapment and prove that the informant pressured you into selling drugs or committing a drug-related crime that you would not have otherwise committed.
Another possible defense is to argue that the police did not have a valid search warrant or probable cause to search your property. If the police conducted an unlawful search of your property, the evidence found during the search may not be used against you.
Defending against drug charges can be challenging, but a criminal defense attorney in the State College area may be able to help.