North Carolina man charged with drug possession
Authorities say that a 59-year-old man accidentally arranged a drug deal with a North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation agent through a series of text messages. Although the man had an arrest record, local police say that he was not being investigated when the incident took place. Therefore, there was no reason for the man to have the agent’s number.
It is believed that he simply had a wrong number and it happened to put him in contact with the agent. The deal took place on May 19, and the man was taken into custody at the scene of the transaction. He was charged with sale and delivery of a Schedule II controlled substance as well as possession with intent to sell the substance. Authorities say that they found cellphones, tablet computers and three grams of crack cocaine in a black Dodge Charger.
Police say that an individual who drove the man to the transaction site also faces criminal charges. The driver was charged with maintaining a vehicle for the sale of controlled substances, but he has been released from jail. The man who had been sending the text messages had a court date scheduled for July 1 and was still in custody as of May 22.
Individuals who have been charged with drug possession or intent to sell may wish to talk to a criminal defense lawyer. Legal counsel may be able to create a defense to the charge that may result in a plea bargain or the case being dropped entirely. Possible defenses include pointing out errors in the police report against the defendant or arguing that the drugs belonged to someone else or were stored in a vehicle without his or her permission.