The North Dakota Highway Patrol seized 136 pounds of marijuana from a car on Interstate 94 near Steele at about 1 p.m. on March 1. The car had Idaho license plates, and a trooper’s suspicions were cited as the reason why the vehicle was searched. A 22-year-old man and a 33-year-old man were inside of the car at the time of the traffic stop and were taken into custody.
Authorities say that the marijuana was of medium-grade and would be worth about $400 a pound. That would make the estimated value of the seized marijuana $870,000. The Kidder County Sheriff’s Office in conjunction with a local task force were credited for being part of the investigation that led to the recovery of the drugs. There was no word as to what charges the two men may be facing.
Those who are found to be in the possession of illegal substances may face many penalties. It may be possible to be fined, spend time on probation or even to be incarcerated. However, a criminal defense attorney may be able to cast doubt on the charges that an individual may be facing. There are several defenses that could be used to help a defendant avoid some or all of the penalties that he or she is facing.
First, it could be argued that the defendant didn’t know that there was marijuana in his or her vicinity. Second, it could be shown that the substance was used for medical purposes or that there was a lawful reason for having it in his or her possession. In many cases it can be demonstrated that there was no probable cause for the stop which led to the search and seizure.
Source: KX News, “More than 100 pounds of marijuana seized”, Mike Chaussee, March 4, 2015
