Fort Lee officials took four individuals from New York into custody on July 19. The ages of those detained were 30, 35, 36 and 37. According to officials, they were stopped at 2:21 a.m. for a moving violation as they drove on Route 1 and 9 North. At the time of the stop, officers indicated that they noticed a smell of rawmarijuana near the compartment on the passenger's side of the 2010 BMW. A clear bag was discovered containing what was believed to be marijuana.
Upon further inspection of the vehicle, officials found a manila envelope that allegedly held more than 200 blank prescription forms. All four occupants were taken into custody after their denial of owning the forms. All have been charged with receiving stolen property and with conspiracy to commit forgery. Additionally, three of the individuals have been charged with forgery. The 36-year-old driver of the vehicle also faces charges of possessing drug paraphernalia and drugs. Arraignment took place in Fort Lee with bail set at $5,000.
Reports indicate that further investigation is planned to evaluate the source of the prescription forms. Reports do not indicate whether any of the individuals was under the influence of drugs at the time of the traffic stop. Additionally, current reports do not note any information related to prior convictions or detentions based on drugs or other issues.
Lawyers may approach their defense cases differently based on the unique backgrounds of each of their clients. People charged with forgery and stolen property crimes should consider seeking the advice of a criminal law attorney who could help form a defense or work toward a plea deal.
Source: North Jersey , "New York group charged with drug possession, forgery - See more at: http://www.northjersey.com/news/crime-and-courts/new-york-group-charged-with-drug-possession-forgery-1.1057093#sthash.h1K2IFbI.dpuf", Svetlana Shkolnikova, July 25, 2014