Drug Possession

Search and seizure is an important issue in the area of drug offenses. Those suspected of criminal activity have certain rights, and when police officers hastily trample over those rights, there are consequences, not only for the suspect, but for the integrity of any criminal case that may be pursued. Without these protections, it would be too easy for officers…

Keith Cozart, a small-time Chicago rapper who goes by the name “Chief Keef” was recently ordered to spend 20 days in Cook County Jail after testing positive for marijuana in violation of probation conditions stemming from a traffic violation. The 18-year-old was required to submit to random drug testing after his arrest back in May on charges that he had…

Our readers may remember last October that singer CeeLo Green, whose real name is Thomas DeCarlo Callaway, was accused of raping a woman with whom he had dined at a Los Angeles restaurant. Callaway, who denied those allegations, was subsequently clear when the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office declined to file a rape charge, citing insufficient evidence. Prosecutors had claimed…

Craig Robinson, the 41-year-old comic actor know for his role as Darryl Philbin on “The Office” was arrested earlier this month in the Bahamas when authorities discovered he was in possession of drugs. At the time of the arrest, Robinson was attempting to board a plane back to the United States. Robinson had been in the Bahamas for a comedy…

Earlier this month, Chicago police reportedly found a man in the West Lawn neighborhood who led them to a hefty stash of illegal drugs. The man had apparently been beaten and tied up blocks from his home, where police found 170 pounds of cocaine and 50 pounds of marijuana. According to the 33-year-old, an individual had kidnapped and beat him…

A total of 85 pounds of Khat, an indigenous plant native to northern African and the Arabian Peninsula was recently found in the belongings of a Minnesota man at O’Hare Airport over the weekend. The 20-year-old had reportedly been on a British Airways flight to Chicago. U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents found 24.4 kilograms of the drug in one…

Earlier this month, a federal judge in the state of New York struck down a policy in New York City dealing with a police procedure known as “stop and frisk,” citing the city’s use of the procedure as unconstitutional. Stop and frisk, as some of our readers may know, is a procedure whereby officers briefly detain, question and possibly search…

Last week, twenty three individuals were charged with federal narcotics offenses for allegedly participating in the distribution of heroin and cocaine in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. The charges were the result of an investigation led by the Chicago Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Around three pounds of heroin and nearly nine pounds of cocaine were seized in the…

Many Chicago-area residents know firsthand how seriously local police take any instance of drug-related activity. Whether they catch a person selling drugs, using drugs, or find drugs in their car or home, police will not hesitate to make an arrest. If you find yourself in this situation, it can be tempting to try to make the situation better for yourself…

Illinois lawmakers, as our Chicago readers have likely heard, recently approved legislation legalizing medical marijuana. Under the legislation, patients may be prescribed a limited amount of marijuana from a state-operated dispensary. The legislation recognizes certain illnesses for which marijuana can be prescribed. Governor Pat Quinn has yet to sign the legislation, and there are apparently serious questions remaining on the…