Authorities in Mercer County were at it yet again this week. This time the the City of Trenton and the Hamilton Township police department teamed up with detectives from the Mercer County prosecutor’s office to take down an alleged cocaine distributer.
Based on the reports thus far, it appears that authorities were investigating the Defendant for more than two months before they were finally able to obtain a search warrant. With a search warrant already obtained, on November 22, 2017, the arrest teamed sat in wait for the Defendant to leave his home on Clearfield Avenue. Once the Defendant left his home, the arrest team conducted a routine traffic stop and took the Defendant into custody. Once in custody, a search of the Defendant’s apartment was conducted and uncovered was more than 70 grams of powder cocaine, 5 grams of crack cocaine and over $800 in cash. The Defendant was arrested and formally charged with various drug offenses, including the possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute and the possession of crack cocaine with the intent to distribute. Based on the new bail guidelines, the Defendant was released from the Mercer County Jail with a scheduled future court appearance. Based on the quantity of cocaine seized, the Defendant will be facing second degree felony drug distribution charges. If convicted, the Defendant could be sentenced up to a decade of incarceration plus a fine up to $150,000.
Cocaine Distribution Charges in New Jersey
The underlying degree of a cocaine distribution charge will be based on the quantity of the cocaine in question. For example, since the Defendant possessed more than 1/2 ounce of cocaine but less than 5 ounces, he was charged with a crime of the second degree. If the Defendant possessed more than 5 ounces of cocaine he would have been charged with a first degree felony. Lastly, if the Defendant possessed less than 1/2 ounce they will be facing a third degree felony. The difference between a second a third degree felony could be the difference between a probationary sentence and a decade behind bars. For more information on how cocaine distribution charges are graded in New Jersey, please checkout out our Trenton drug distribution practice area by clicking the link.
Trenton Cocaine Distribution Attorney
If you have been charged with a felony offense like distributing cocaine in Mercer County, in towns like Hamilton, Trenton, Lawrenceville, Robbinsville, Ewing or elsewhere, it is crucial that you hire an experienced criminal defense lawyer. These are very serious charges and if they are not handled properly, the consequences could be devastating. At Keith Oliver Criminal Law, we take a tremendous amount of pride in being able to adapt to our clients needs. At our firm we believe that it is absolutely crucial to have continuity with your attorney. So when you hire us, Mr. Oliver, one of the firms founding partners, personally handles the case from beginning to end. It will not be juggled between several different associates who are just simply “free” to cover the case that particular day. For more information on Mr. Oliver, please click the link. If you would like to schedule a free consultation today, please contact our Hamilton office at 609-789-0779.
For more information on one of Mr. Oliver’s recent cocaine distribution cases, please checkout State v. T.W.
For more information on this arrest, please checkout the Trentonian article labeled Trenton man busted with cocaine.
