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Two people arrested on drug charges in Maryland have been convicted of misdemeanors, rather than felonies, due to lack of investigation prior to their arrests. A third person arrested on drug charges was fully acquitted.

The three individuals include:

• Mamady Kaba, who was arrested with 17 lbs. of marijuana (worth about $154,000)

• Titus Barnes, who was arrested with 20 lbs. of marijuana (worth around $272,000)

• Marquis Dorsey, who was arrested with 25 lbs. of marijuana (worth approximately $254,000)

While each would've faced mandatory jail time if convicted of felony drug charges with the intent to distribute, upon investigation, it was discovered that all three only possessed such massive quantities of drugs because packages of drugs had been mailed to them.

It is a common practice among drug dealers and traffickers to mail packages of drugs to an unknowing person. The intent is to pick up the package before it's delivered to its destination. However, clearly, this doesn't always occur.

The Controversy Surrounding Such Drug Arrests

According to Maryland police and prosecutors, anyone who possesses or receives packages containing such large amounts of drugs is arrested on the spot – without any preliminary investigation.

While authorities contend that such a practice is crucial to getting drugs off the street, Maryland defense lawyers find these arrests to be appalling, as they allow drug dealers to victimize innocent people.

In some cases, these drug arrests and the subsequent trials ultimately force innocent people to make deals and accept lesser charges for fear of being convicted of the full sentences.

However, arresting those who receive packages of drugs without properly investigating the incident also presents another problem: Because Maryland state law requires that suspects are aware of the drugs in order to be convicted, this practice opens up a loop hole, in that anyone arrested under these circumstances can simply claim he was unaware of the package's contents.

(Source: Washington Post)

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