Police Obtain Search Warrant After Undercover Officer Buys Drugs At Folcroft Residence
You have probably seen news stories where an undercover officer bought illegal drugs from a defendant, and as soon as the money and the drugs had changed hands, multiple police officers appeared out of nowhere and flashed their badges, making an arrest after a dramatic confrontation. That is not always how sales to undercover cops transpire, though. In some cases, you might sell drugs to a friend of a friend or to a stranger who found your contact information online and walk away none the wiser that the person who just bought drugs from you was an undercover cop. Days might go by before you get arrested or before a police officer asks to talk to you about illegal drug activity. This is all part of due process of law. In any drug case, whether it happened as quickly and unexpectedly as in an action movie or whether you were almost sure that the police were no longer on your trail, you can and should contact a Pittsburgh drug crime lawyer.
Sometimes Selling Drugs to an Undercover Officer Is Just the Beginning
The default state of affairs is that every person has the right to mind his or her own business without undue scrutiny from police; this is the meaning of the Fourth Amendment protection against unlawful search and seizure of private property. Police cannot search your property unless they have a warrant, and they cannot get a warrant until they persuade a judge that there is probable cause to search, meaning that evidence that is already available to the police indicates that they will find even more evidence of a specific crime if they go through with the search.
What if the evidence of probable cause comes in the form of a defendant selling illegal drugs to an undercover police officer? Isn’t that entrapment? It is only entrapment if the undercover officer coerces you into selling. If the officer expresses willingness to buy, and you express willingness to sell, then the evidence is valid.
In the News
In February 2023, an undercover police officer contacted Nassir Dupree-Blackmon of Folcroft by phone and the two agreed to meet so that the undercover officer could buy cocaine from Dupree-Blackmon. They met at Dupree-Blackmon’s residence, and the officer bought two vials, which a forensics lab later confirmed contained cocaine. Several weeks later, the same undercover officer contacted Dupree-Blackmon again, and they met at the same address for another sale. After that, the police obtained a search warrant for Dupree-Blackmon’s address. After executing the search, they found cocaine powder stashed in various locations, plus packaging materials and some cocaine already packaged for sale. The defendants arrested as a result of the search are Dupree-Blackmon, 24, his brother Aaqil Aamir Blackmon, 22, and their housemate Robert Jones, 55.
Contact Gary E. Gerson About Drug Crime Cases
A criminal defense lawyer can help you if you are being accused of selling drugs to an undercover police officer. Contact the law offices of Gary E. Gerson in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania about your case.
Source:
delcotimes.com/2023/02/17/3-arrested-in-crack-cocaine-dealing-in-folcroft/
