A jury in Kalamazoo found an alleged methamphetamine trafficker guilty of several federal charges on Oct. 2. The 45-year-old man is accused of helping to bring large amounts of methamphetamine into Michigan through his connections to suppliers in Mexico. He was reportedly the subject of an investigation for several years before he was detained on the drug charges.
During his trial, two of the accused man’s purported co-conspirators testified against him as part of the plea deals they had arranged. The man was ultimately convicted for one count each of conspiracy to possess with intent to deliver at least 50 grams of methamphetamine, conspiracy to distribute at least 50 grams of methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute at least 50 grams of methamphetamine. He was also found guilty of witness tampering through intimidation, threats and corrupt persuasion.
As part of the investigation into the accused man’s alleged activities, the Kalamazoo Valley Enforcement Team reportedly used surveillance techniques that included monitoring the man’s vehicles. He was seen making short trips that officers believed were evidence of possible drug trafficking. Informants were also used to conduct controlled purchases of meth from the accused man. On Oct. 23, 2013, the man was taken into custody during one of these controlled buys.
In some cases, police officers who are engaged in this type of undercover surveillance work may not follow proper procedures at all times. A criminal defense attorney may be able to help a person who is facing drug charges to bring any of these moments where police officers overstepped their legal boundaries to the attention of a judge. If officers are found to have acted unlawfully, some of the evidence and information that they obtained while undercover may be inadmissible in court.
Source: MLive, “Leader in large Kalamazoo meth ring with ties to Mexican cartels found guilty of federal charges”, Aaron Mueller , October 03, 2014
