On Aug. 11, a man appeared in Central Judicial Processing court in Jersey City to face drug possession charges stemming from an incident on Aug. 9. The 41-year-old West New York man appeared by video link while detained at Hudson County jail in Kearny. He faces charges for possession of 160 Xanax pills, 139 oxycodone pills and two methadone pills that he allegedly intended to distribute.
If the man is convicted of the drug distribution charges, he could receive a prison sentence of between five and 10 years. Although he was offered a cash bail of $25,000, posting the sum will reportedly not lead to his release. The man, who is originally from Nicaragua, is also wanted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
At his court appearance, a judge informed the man that he also had multiple warrants for his arrest because of parking violations. The warrants were from Union City Municipal Court and the bails were set at between $550 and $1,979. The accused man has one prior conviction for disorderly persons on his record.
A person in a similar situation may have had a valid reason for possessing the prescription drugs. If the defendant can present current or past medical prescriptions at their trial, the charges may be dropped or the sentence could be reduced. A criminal defense lawyer might be able to assist an individual in this effort by gathering all of the relevant evidence and making an effective presentation. A lawyer may also challenge the prosecution to exhibit any evidence of a drug sale or attempted drug sale.
Source: NJ.com, "West New York man arrested on drug charges makes court appearance", Michaelangelo Conte, August 18, 2014
Source: NJ.com, "West New York man arrested on drug charges makes court appearance", Michaelangelo Conte, August 18, 2014