Sometimes law enforcement authorities work secretly with federal agencies in order to charge Wisconsin residents with drug crimes. These investigations can last for years while the police try to get as much evidence as they can for a possible conviction. But even if numerous law enforcement agencies work together, there can still be serious flaws in the way an investigation or an arrest is conducted. To protect the rights of the accused, a strong criminal defense will work to find those flaws and seek a significant reduction of charges.
Two Wisconsin men will need just such a defense after recently being indicted by a federal grand jury in Milwaukee on drug charges. A 24-year-old and a 34-year-old, both from Fond du Lac, are accused of conspiring to distribute marijuana, cocaine, crack cocaine and heroin. They are also accused of distributing and possessing crack cocaine with intent to deliver.
Local Wisconsin police and the federal Drug Enforcement Administration claim to have spent a couple of years investigating the men. A metropolitan drug investigation unit claims its officers made 47 undercover buys of marijuana, crack cocaine and heroin from 22 other people who are said to have been connected with the two men. A local news report, which basically presents what was said in a police press release, did not say how the 22 other people were actually connected to the two men from Fond du Lac.
If convicted, the 34-year-old could face 10 years to life in prison and fines of up to $20 million. The younger man could face up to 50 years in prison, plus fines. With potential consequences so severe, these men will need an aggressive and meaningful defense that will call into question the prosecutor’s arguments. There may also be ambiguities in the evidence, and calling attention to those ambiguities could result in a significant reduction of charges.
Source: fdlreporter.com, “2 Fond du Lac men face federal drug charges,” Feb. 18, 2012