In the war on drugs, law enforcement has a lot of leeway. Some of the methods used by Florida police involve infiltrating the world of drug trafficking. However, when it comes to violating your rights to make an arrest, there is a line they may not cross.
If an undercover cop recently arrested you for buying or distributing drugs, you may have many questions about the validity of your arrest and the possibility that police entrapped you. With your future on the line, you would benefit from having an experienced legal professional examine the details of your case for evidence that police stepped over the line.
Targeting users and dealers
In a sting operation, a police officer may pose as a drug dealer to catch someone trying to buy drugs. For this type of operation to work, the police may even have authentic drugs to sell, targeting drug users and arresting them.
If police caught you in one of these undercover operations, you may have wondered why they were interested in arresting you. However, police know that if you are afraid of going to jail again, you may be less likely to purchase drugs since your dealer may actually be a cop. In this way, they are cutting the demand for drugs in their neighborhood.
Another way police use undercover sting operations is to arrange the purchase of a large amount of drugs. In this way, drug enforcement officers may have suspected you of drug distribution and set up a sting to arrest you.
Did police entrap you?
Entrapment is a common defense after an arrest for drug crimes resulting from an undercover sting. If the court finds that police entrapped you, your attorney may be able to have the charges against you reduced or dropped. However, the burden is on you to prove police entrapped you. These factors are important:
- Police may not use unreasonable methods to persuade you to commit the crime, including threatening you or harassing you.
- You must have no predisposition to committing the crime. In other words, if you already have a criminal record for buying or selling drugs, it will be more difficult for you to claim entrapment.
- Police may use deception in a sting operation, such as posing as dealers or buyers, or lying about being a cop.
If you believe police entrapped you to make an arrest, you have every right to seek legal counsel to ensure the protection of your Constitutional rights.
