A Michigan man was sentenced to three and a half to 40 years in prison after being convicted of drug charges including, one count of maintaining a drug house and four counts of delivery of heroin. The defendant was taken into custody in June 2013 after the Huron County Sheriff’s office executed two search warrants and seized $4,700 in cash, 22 grams of heroin, an unknown white powdery substance and several items of heroin paraphernalia. In January, he was found guilty of a drug possession charge by a jury. For that charge, he received a sentence of three to 40 years in prison.
The search warrants were the result of an investigation that spanned several months. According to prosecutors, the defendant was reportedly a leader in the distribution of heroin in the local area. An inmate from Huron County Jail supplied testimony indicating that he was supplying the defendant with heroin. The inmate also specified an amount of money and heroin that was involved in the alleged transactions.
The defendant in this story was convicted of drug charges by a jury. This indicates that the case went to trial rather than through a plea bargain. Many drug-related cases are resolved with a plea agreement; however, there are situations in which a case may go to trial.
No two cases are alike and each one requires a unique defense strategy. A criminal defense attorney may review a defendant’s case to figure out whether a trial or plea agreement is the most appropriate option. If the attorney and defendant agree that a plea deal may be the best choice, the attorney and prosecutor will work out an arrangement together.
Source: Huron Daily Tribune, “Local heroin drug ‘leader’ gets more prison time”, Chris Aldridge, June 24, 2014
