Why wouldn't a narcotics officer arrest someone during a drug raid when a huge amount of meth was found?

About a year ago my neighbor was busted with a large amount of meth (about 3 ounces) along with distribution supplies (baggies, scales etc.) and ten thousand dollars. He has been out on bond, awaiting an evidence suppression hearing, for the past six months. The day before yesterday (which was 2 days before his hearing) they executed a search warrant of his home looking for more evidence of illegal drug activity. The items to be seized were: drugs, distribution supplies, weapons, computers etc. They took his laptop, his PC hard drive, along with another 4 ounces of meth and $12,000.00 in cash. After they were through searching and ransacking his home for a couple of hours they helped him to his feet (he had been cuffed and on the floor), removed his cuffs and told him they were going to turn over all of this new evidence to the District Attorney's office. Shouldn't he have been returned to jail immediately? Why didn't they arrest him? It doesn't make any sense to me. Help me understand

CAT^

Because your neighbor has agreed to be a confidential informant to avoid the new charges and accept a plea to reduce his original sentence.

dathinman8

They could have arrested him on new charges, and started the whole process of a new case. And that would have given him and his attorney the opportunity to file more motions and go through more hearings for another year. But since they executed a search warrant looking for more evidence in an existing case, anything they found and confiscated will be used as evidence to strengthen and build the current case they have against him. That way they will get to trial and he will be convicted much sooner.

maybe they wanted to use the evidence in the current case instead of putting new charges on him, then that evidence couldnt be used in bothj cases. or he snitched and now he's working for the cops.

Q M

Why should he be punished at all? He realizes that there is a market for such a product and he is taking advantage of it. He is an entrepreneur. He is the quintessential AMERICAN. He is stimulating our economy. Would you rather he sat around collecting welfare checks? If you want these drug dealers to go away, the only option is to admit defeat in the War on Drugs and let people sell drugs in stores instead of on the black market. This ridiculous experiment was tried with alcohol and they admitted defeat. They should do the same now. Damn Nancy Reagan.

steven a

They are too busy prosicuting people for failure to appear on traffic violations. Never seem to let anybody slide on that one.

RobNJ

It all depends on the jurisdiction. I mean, if he was out on bond and reoffended for the same offenses, they would have just gave him new charges. It is not up to arresting officers to revoke bond or anything like that. THey just see it again and give up new charges.

In order to get a warrant, there has to be probably cause. He must have been under surveillance by some local narcotics squad and that is how they got the warrant.

This technique is not uncommon. Many teams such as narcotics will bust people knowing when they get out - they will go right back to the same thing - and they will bust them again. Some people get busted like you described above - and at least in NJ since it is so overcrowded - on a first offense they will get probation - maybe some county jail time. They hit you on the second wave of charges because now you are facing state time. THey generally use this at that point to squeeze you for info. They will also not give you a free ride - just a reduced sentence. People that usually get a free ride are heavy hitters and they disappear.

Police and DA will also not comment on open investigations - so you really never know what they are up to. He most likely can be hit with federal charges if they want to really hurt him - with the cash and not claiming it.

Hope this helps...

Joe S

Most likely they couldn't arrest him again due to a technicallity. Maybe the warrant was limited and had conditions on it. If they could legally have arrested him they would have done so. They LOVE to catch a crook!

NONAME

Maybe he has offered to become a narc. That is usually the only ways to stay out in such a situation. Sounds fishy to me though if that is not the reason.

puckstuckny6

He may have given it up and decided to give the police more info on where he's getting this stuff from, or the major dealers in the area. A guy in my area was busted with 20 pounds of marijuana and 40,000 in cash, owned a club, and 2 homes. The police let him go on probation but had to give up the ownership to his club (diablo), the money, a truck and one of his homes, and was put on probation. It also depends if this is his first offense, but it sounds fishy to me, he may be helping the authorities.

--------------------------------

Call arizona cops they will take him in ha ha arizona is very harsh on meth.

Blondiespam

probably because the system was at overcapacity and the courts, jails where dealing with too much or ever worse issues

chrisciello

they should have arrested him again. I don't know why they didn't, perhaps it's because it's the same case.

Not To Serious

He has probably turned into a RAT