Police in Florida say that a 22-year-old man was under the influence of narcotics when he called 911 to report a home invasion on the evening of Feb. 12. Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office deputies responding to the 11:00 p.m. call found no evidence to suggest that individuals had been running through the man’s home and backyard as he had alleged, but they do claim to have noticed large amounts of narcotics and drug paraphernalia scattered about the residence.
The observations were enough to secure a search warrant for the Yorktown Street residence, and detectives arrived early in the following morning to execute it. According to reports, the ensuing search led to the discovery of about 45 grams of cocaine, about eight pounds of marijuana and a huge cache of prescription medications that included more than 3,000 Xanax tablets. Detectives also seized an undisclosed quantity of synthetic drugs and a number of substances that were sent to a forensics laboratory for identification and analysis.
As a result of these alleged discoveries, the man was taken into custody on a raft of charges including cocaine trafficking, possession of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute. A Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office representative said that the man was being held without bond, the case was still being actively investigated and more charges could be added.
Cases involving drug possession or distribution charges often hinge on seized narcotics and the search warrants that led to their discovery. Experienced criminal defense attorneys may study search warrant applications carefully in these situations, and they could seek to have searches ruled unconstitutional and the charges against their clients dismissed when police may have strayed beyond the scope of the warrant.
Source: WFTS Tampa Bay, “Florida man leaves stash of drugs in plain sight after calling 911 to report false home invasion”, Mary Stringini, Feb. 14, 2018
