Maryland Law Blog

According to a recent story, a 23-year-old woman from Glen Burnie was arrested for allegedly smuggling drugs into Roxbury Correctional Institution in Hagerstown, Maryland while visiting an incarcerated inmate. The report states that after receiving an anonymous tip, Police used drug sniffing dogs to catch the woman who turned over four latex balloons containing marijuana and heroin to authorities.

The suspect reportedly had two young children with her, both of whom were immediately handed over to social services following the incident. The young woman has six drug charges against her and as a consequence, faces a maximum of 36 years in prison and $68,000 in fines.

Under Maryland law, possession or use of any amount of marijuana is punishable by jail time and hefty fines. Heroin, a Schedule I narcotic, merits some of the most severe punishments in the criminal justice system.

In drug offense cases, oftentimes, police may make mistakes in the search and seizure process, thereby violating a person’s rights and eradicating certain charges. If you have been charged with drug possession or trafficking, you should contact a skilled Maryland drug crime attorney who can investigate all the details surrounding your case. Remember that even with a serious drug charge, you are innocent until proven guilty.

Continue reading "Woman Accused of Smuggling Drugs into Maryland Prison" »

Police in Cambridge, Maryland arrested two men on February 10, 2010 after they attempted to elude police during a traffic stop. According to news reports, when officers attempted to stop a vehicle for driving against a state of emergency order issued due to severe weather, the driver failed to pull over and attempted to elude the officers. Fortunately for police, when the driver turned from Washington Street onto St. Clair Avenue, his car became stuck in the snow. Three individuals then jumped from the vehicle and proceeded to flee on foot. The officers were able to catch and arrest both the driver and the front seat passenger.

The arresting officers found 22.3 grams of marijuana on the floor of the front passenger’s seat. The driver, a 22-year-old from Rhodesdale, was driving on a suspended driver’s license. In addition, the front seat passenger, a 25-year-old from Cambridge, was wanted on an outstanding warrant for 13 counts of animal cruelty. Both face multiple charges, and are being held at Dorchester County Detention Center.

Continue reading "Two Men Arrested for Police Evasion, Drugs and Outstanding Warrant" »

Washington D.C. prosecutors are weighing support for the city’s bid to increase PCP drug possession charges to felony charges under the pretext that violent psychosis caused by the drug warrants the increase of punishment. Based on a recent article, defense lawyers argue that possession of the drug without intent to sell should not garner long-term prison sentences.
Phencyclidine, a chemical substance commonly known as PCP, has been blamed for causing numerous violent rampages in Washington D.C. According to the District’s Pretrial Service Agency, nine percent of adults arrested in the District last year tested positive for the drug. The drug is known to cause paranoid thoughts, feelings of abnormal power, invulnerability and strength as well as panic and a sense of impending death.

Should the bid succeed, liquid PCP drug possession offenders will be punished with up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine on top of having a felony charge on their records. Defense attorneys rally that harsher penalties will result in more incarcerations, something many local governments are against.

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According to an article from chicagotribune.com, a Virginia doctor has been sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison for allegedly writing tens of thousands of prescriptions for muscle relaxants and other drugs. Apparently, the doctor provided these prescriptions over the Internet and did not meet or examine any of the patients. In addition to the seven counts held against him for introducing misbranded drugs into interstate commerce, the doctor was also charged with four counts of tax evasion. He pleaded guilty to all the charges against him.

The doctor was also sentenced in the city of Boston’s federal court to three years of probation following release from his one-year sentence. Based on the article, prosecutors argued that between 2004 and 2007, the doctor gave out about 50,000 to 100,000 prescriptions based on forms refined for online pharmacies. He was reportedly paid $5 to $7 per prescription and never reported this income to the IRS.

Even though the doctor in this drug crime case pleaded guilty to the charges against him, doing so is not something that applies to every criminal case. A guilty plea may benefit a defendant if it means facing a lowered sentence or being given the opportunity of probation instead of jail time. However, a person being accused of a drug crime in Maryland may want to discuss serious matters such as these with an experienced Maryland drug crime defense attorney.

Continue reading "Doctor Sentenced to 1 Year in Prison for Providing Prescriptions over the Internet" »

A man from Myersville, Maryland, considered to be the President of the National Pagans Motorcycle Club, has been accused of leading the supposedly wide-spread outlaw biker gang in extortion, robbery, kidnapping, plotting to commit murder, weapons violations, and drug dealing, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia. Based on a baltimoresun.com report, more than 50 members and associates of the alleged gang are accused of conspiracy to kill and extort rival bikers in order to establish themselves as the top gang of bikers in the area. Those accused are reported to be in West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Florida.

According to the article, within the 44-count, 83-page indictment document against those arrested, it is stated: “The PMC and its existing support clubs unlawfully threatened and intimidated people who wanted to start a motorcycle club in the PMC territory.” The article also mentioned that federal prosecutors are in search of holding the alleged leaders, including the Maryland man, and 20 others, without bail.

Maryland residents don’t hear about criminal cases quite like this one on a normal basis. It is interesting that prosecutors apparently did not know whether the President of the National Pagans Motorcycle Club had a criminal defense attorney or not. Although the charges against this man and many others seem insurmountable at a quick glance, all citizens arrested for a crime are innocent until proven guilty. Considering that so many people were arrested, it is possible that false accusations were made, leading to charges being brought against those that were not involved with the related crimes whatsoever.

Continue reading "National Pagans Motorcycle Club President is One of 55 Arrested" »

It may surprise many Maryland residents that a hallucinogen is in fact legal both in our state and throughout the rest of the U.S. However a statewide ban on the hallucinogen, salvia, is waiting to be passed by the Maryland General Assembly. This ban may not come soon enough for Worcester County. According to a recent report, the County Commissioners introduced a bill to ban salvia in all of Worcester County. Decision on the bill will be made during a public hearing during which it will be decided whether or not emergency legislation should pass. If the bill is passed on September 1, 2009, it will go into effect right away.

The recent efforts to ban salvia are not the first Maryland has seen. A Mid-Shore Maryland State Senator last year sponsored a bill to criminalize salvia that turned out to be unsuccessful at getting the herb on the list of Schedule I drugs, those which are illegal to both possess and sell. The Senator referred to salvia as “one of the most powerful natural grown hallucinogens known to mankind…as powerful as psilocybin mushrooms.”

Others who have been supporting a ban on the hallucinogen would also like to see legislation passed to criminalize salvia; however, enforcement could be a big challenge considering that saliva grows freely unbeknownst to homeowners and in various other locations. Specifically, the debated plant is salvia divinorum, a typically non-flowering variety of sage, which has over 700 species. These sage varieties are popular garden adornments and herbs used for cooking; however salvia divinorum is not sold for ornamental use by garden stores or retail shops.

The proposed bill also prohibits owning or selling paraphernalia for the ingestion, processing, or growing of salvia; however details pertaining to the exact definitions of what that paraphernalia may be are not outlined in the bill.

Continue reading "Worcester County May Ban the Hallucinogen Salvia" »

A woman was recently caught trying to smuggle 2 pounds and 9 ounces of cocaine from Jamaica into Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. The 35-year-old District woman split the cocaine into two packages and hid the large amount of drugs in her bra; one of the less invasive ways in which people try to transport drugs, but a common attempt at trickery that customs officials seem to be highly aware of.

According to a Customs and Border Protection port Director for the Port of Baltimore, “Narcotics smugglers will go to great lengths to conceal their dangerous drugs, and this is another unique concealment method…unfortunately for her, it wasn’t so unique that it fooled our highly trained officers even for a second.”

Although it has not been released at this time as to what charges the woman will face, she is likely to be accused of possession of cocaine, drug trafficking, intent to distribute, and even felony drug charges. All of these offenses have the potential to impose drastic changes in a person’s life, with consequences that may include lengthy sentencing with a slim opportunity for parole, fines amounting to thousands of dollars that can land one in debt, and years or even decades of incarceration. Additionally, undocumented individuals may also face deportation if convicted of drug offenses.

Continue reading "Extra Padding a Bust: Woman at BWI Caught with Cocaine in Bra" »

A recent article in the Maryland Coast Dispatch discusses the case of an Ocean City man who allegedly posed as a doctor and called in fake prescriptions to local pharmacies for painkillers. The article said that on June 11, 2009, officers with the Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) narcotics unit began a pharmaceutical drug investigation of a man who had allegedly been calling in fake Hydrocodone prescriptions while posing as a doctor from Laurel, Maryland. The article said that the 38-year-old defendant in the Maryland drug crime case is from Ocean City, MD.

Detectives from the OCPD began their investigation of the man after receiving a tip from a pharmacist working for a pharmacy on 120th Street. Police officials said that the pharmacist suspected illegal activity from the way that the prescription drugs were being prescribed and the particular drug that was prescribed. In the course of conducting their investigation, OCPD detectives discovered that the person who the drugs were fraudulently prescribed for had recently been discharged as a patient from a Laurel, Maryland doctor’s office.

Supposedly, the man had been discharged from a doctor’s care due to repeated attempts to call in fraudulent prescriptions by posing as doctor. After allegedly phoning in a fraudulent prescription for Hydrocodone, the man was arrested as he attempted to pick up the prescription from the pharmacy on 120th Street. While police arrested the man, they also found marijuana in his possession. Police then charged him with:

• Obtaining a CDS prescription by fraud


• Obtaining a CDS prescription by impersonation


• Possession of marijuana


• And possession of drug paraphernalia

After his arrest, the man was taken before a District Court Commissioner and transferred to the county jail on a $5,000 bond. Hydrocodone is classified as a Schedule 3 controlled dangerous substance and is a potentially addictive painkiller also known by the brand name Vicodin.

Continue reading "Ocean City Man Posed as Doctor for Fraudulent Prescriptions" »

An article published in North Carolina's Davidson County Dispatch on May 14, 2009 reports that a Maryland man and a South Carolina woman were taken into custody by North Carolina authorities recently on drug trafficking charges. Each is being held in the Davidson County, North Carolina jail on $1 million bonds for allegedly trafficking drugs on Interstate 85. The drug trafficking arrests were made when a Davidson County Sheriff’s Deputy pulled over a Honda Accord with Maryland license plates near mile marker 100 on Interstate 85 for following another vehicle too closely.

A K-9 drug sniffing dog scanned the Accord and alerted the deputy to the presence of drugs. The deputy then conducted a probable cause search of the vehicle. In the process of searching the vehicle, the deputy found 10 pounds of marijuana in the trunk. The woman of Rock Hill, SC was driving the Accord when the arrest was made, and she faces charges of possession of drug paraphernalia, one count of maintaining a vehicle for trafficking marijuana and two counts of trafficking marijuana.

The 23-year-old passenger in the Accord of Mechanicsville, MD faces charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and one count of trafficking marijuana.

Continue reading "Maryland Man and South Carolina Woman Face Drug Trafficking Charges" »

Although Michael Phelps is currently facing no criminal or drug charges in relation to the infamous photo of the gold-medal winning swimmer allegedly inhaling from a marijuana water pipe, the repercussions from that photograph are still in effect. This example highlights one of the less pleasant aspects of the court of public opinion. Without a trial, and without a guilty verdict, drug use can have significant financial and emotional costs.

The Baltimore Sun reports in an article that Phelps has been dropped by Kellogg Foods, who had given the swimmer an endorsement deal. USA Swimming, the governing body for competitive swimming in America, has suspended him for three months and deprived him of his financial support during that same period. No drug charges have been filed against the swimmer, yet Phelps’s situation clearly illustrates the potential harm that merely being suspected of drug charges can do to a promising career.

In report, the disappointment and sorrow that Phelps’s mother must be feeling is also mentioned. One aspect of criminal allegations that is often neglected in the press is the intense emotional distress suffered by the friends and family of the accused. Family members often feel guilty or ashamed on behalf of their loved one who is accused of using drugs or is facing charges for a drug offense. They may also face significant prejudice and outright hostility from co-workers, neighbors and other members of the public.

Phelps’s story is a timely reminder that the costs of an incident involving drugs can begin to mount long before a case is brought to trial. If you have any questions about drug cases, please contact the attorneys of Meng & Alpert LLC. Our skilled Maryland narcotics defense lawyers can be reached at 866-444-6363 for a free consultation.

DelawareOnline reported in an article on March 20, 2009, that Georgetown police had stopped an Ocean City, MD man for allegedly driving under the influence. The routine DUI stop took a different turn when police searched the man and allegedly discovered over 40 packets of heroin in the subject’s pockets.

A further search of the DUI suspect’s vehicle revealed more heroin and drug paraphernalia. The total amount of heroin discovered was approximately 10 grams. Since the drugs were packaged in small discrete quantities, police were able to charge the man with drug trafficking.

Although this incident took place in Delaware, one could extrapolate what would happen if the charges were made in the Maryland court system. Under Maryland’s drug laws, the type of sentencing possible in a drug trafficking case depends on the type of controlled substance involved. Heroin, as a Schedule I narcotic, merits some of the most severe punishments under Maryland law.

If found guilty of trafficking heroin in a Maryland court, a defendant could face up to 20 years in prison and/or up to a $25,000 fine. If the defendant were transporting an amount of heroin into the state of Maryland equal to that seized by the Georgetown police, the defendant could face up to 25 years and/or a $50,000 fine upon conviction.

Meng & Alpert, LLC represents the interests of those charged with drug offenses in Maryland. Sometimes police overstep their boundaries in making a search or otherwise violate your rights. If you have questions regarding criminal charges including drug possession or drug trafficking, please call the skilled Maryland drug charge attorneys of Meng & Alpert, LLC for more information at 866-444-6363.

According to a FirstCoastNews.com report, former Miss Maryland Tia Shorts has been arrested on drug possession in Maryland and conspiracy charges. The former pageant contestant is being charged with possession of cocaine and marijuana and conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute.

The charges come on the heels of a series of arrests that took place near the Germantown residence where Shorts lived. In addition to Shorts, three other people were arrested on a variety of drug-related charges, including possession with intent to distribute heroin, marijuana and cocaine and possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.

In Maryland, the punishment meted out for possession of cocaine and marijuana depends on the type and quantity of the illicit substance in the defendant’s possession. In the case of marijuana, possession, distribution or manufacture of 50 pounds or more of marijuana or of 448 grams or more of cocaine is punished by a mandatory five years in prison and up to a $100,000 fine.

Drugs and weapons charges are very serious matters no matter if you are an average citizen or a high profile local celebrity. For over thirty years Meng & Alpert, LLC have represented clients charged with drug and weapons crimes in Maryland. Please contact the skilled Maryland drug crimes attorneys at Meng & Alpert, LLC toll free at 866-444-6363 for more information about drug trafficking and conspiracy charges.

In a recent article from the Washington Post, columnist Marc Fisher discussed the confusion and anger that parents are expressing over Zero Tolerance drug policies at Maryland schools. The latest debate surrounds the plight of a Fairfax County junior who committed suicide when faced with possible expulsion over a violation of the school system’s zero tolerance drug policy.

Zero tolerance movements have gained popularity in various sectors of everyday life over the last two decades. The popularity of these tough movements seems to stem from how easy they are for politicians to sell to the public. School districts in particular love zero tolerance policies because they allow the administration to point to the one-size fits all rules and declare that “they are doing something about the problem.”

According to comments offered by parents in Fisher’s column, punishments often involve expulsion, which can exacerbate their child’s troubles. In 2004, researchers Lance Lochner and Enrico Moretti published a survey in the American Economic Review revealing that graduating high school has a significant preventative effect on criminal activity. Given that kids who are experimenting with drugs are in trouble already, kicking them out of school for minor offenses worsens their chances of straightening themselves out and becoming productive members of society.

Zero tolerance drug policies may operate from the best of intentions, but their indiscriminate application may be creating the conditions spawning the next generation of criminals. The experienced Maryland criminal defense attorneys of Meng & Alpert, LLC have over three decades of experience defending those accused of criminal offenses, including drug trafficking and drug possession. If you know a friend or family member who is facing drug charges in Maryland, and would like to discuss the situation with a knowledgeable criminal defense attorney, please contact the law offices of Meng & Alpert, LLC at 866-444-6363.

The Baltimore Sun reports in an article that the Baltimore County police are searching for 26-year-old Warren Jerome Yates of Dundalk in connection with a fatal shooting.

Police allege that on January 7, 2009, Yates sold another man $4000 worth of marijuana, for which he could be facing Maryland drug charges. The other man passed Yates a roll of bills to pay for the drugs, but only one of the bills was real.

The purchaser fled when Yates discovered the ruse, then Yates drew a gun and fired two shots at the man.

One of the shots struck 58-year-old Shirley Worcester, a Middle River resident who was standing outside of her home. The bullet hit Worcester in the chest, fatally wounding her.

Police have issued a warrant for the arrest of Yates based on eyewitness accounts and crime scene evidence. In addition to first-degree murder charges, police have also charged Yates for weapons violations and drug charges.

A Maryland first-degree murder conviction relies on proving beyond a reasonable doubt that the act was premeditated and occurred during the commission of a limited range of felony crimes.

The state is obligated to be clear and deliberate in its actions so that the rights of the accused are observed at each step in the process of justice. To make sure your rights are protected, you need a skilled criminal defense attorney in Maryland who understands the extent of the law. Contact Meng & Alpert for legal guidance and representation at 866-444-6363 toll free.