In a recent high-profile Florida case, the son of a Miami-Dade county lobbyist is slated to face trial for drug-related offenses. Eleven others have apparently already accepted plea agreements in the federal drug trafficking case. However, the 30-year-old law student opted for trial rather than accepting a plea bargain.
He has been accused of receiving packages from China that allegedly contained kilos of a drug known as Molly at his grandfather’s freight and shipping company. The lobbyist’s son told authorities that he had no idea there were drugs inside the packages. However, a prosecutor claimed that the man not only knew about the drugs but was being paid to have them shipped to his grandfather’s business. The law student now faces charges of importing synthetic drugs and conspiracy to distribute drugs in South Florida.
The attorney representing the man instructed the jury to carefully examine the evidence. He said there is no proof that the defendant is connected in any way to the alleged drug trafficking scheme. Apparently, some of the others who pleaded guilty in the case are planning to testify against him.
It remains to be seen how the high-profile federal drug trafficking case will be resolved in court. Any person accused of similar crimes in Florida has the right to stand trial rather than accept a plea agreement. An experienced criminal defense attorney would be able to assess an individual’s situation and offer guidance as to whether such a decision would be in a defendant’s best interests.
Source: Miami Herald, “Lone defendant in big Miami Molly case faces trial”, Jay Weaver, Feb. 22, 2016
