A federal court in Florida held an arraignment on a recent Wednesday for a 30-year-old man accused of weapons and drug related crimes. The Federal drug trafficking and firearms charges followed an incident that is said to have occurred during Spring Break 2015. The defendant in the case now faces up to 35 years in a federal prison.
Police reportedly found the 30-year-old in possession of the Ecstasy drug, as well as large amounts of marijuana. He was also accused of being in possession of two firearms. Because the man was a convicted felon, he was charged for illegal possession of weapons and possession of firearms intended to further drug trafficking. Other charges were also filed in the case.
The Spring Break incident took place when police reportedly pulled the man over in traffic for allegedly driving with a passenger seated on the outside of the moving vehicle. Officers then conducted a search of the car after claiming that they smelled a strong odor of marijuana coming from the inside of the vehicle. The incident resulted in police stating that they discovered significant amounts of drugs, paraphernalia and weapons in the vehicle. They then placed the man under arrest.
The man charged in the case denied knowing that the firearms were in the vehicle he was driving. Police were said to have later produced evidence that refuted the man’s claim. He remains in police custody at the current time. Florida law allows anyone accused of federal drug trafficking or other drug and weapons related activity to seek consultation with an experienced legal professional before proceeding to court.
Source: newsherald.com, “Man faces federal gun, drug charges“, Zack McDonald, June 24, 2015
