135 people face drug charges after 4-day drug campaign

Police in Louisiana recently completed a four-day drug arrest campaign that involved the arrests of 135 individuals. During the campaign, authorities targeted five different parishes and seized over $400,000 worth of drugs. The operation was led by the Lafayette Metro Narcotics Task Force from May 14 through May 17. The arrested individuals will now be forced to defend themselves against their drug charges if they wish to reduce their chances of punishment and conviction.

Seventeen government agencies and 20 to 25 police officers were involved in the drug purging operation. The drugs that were allegedly confiscated during the drug raids included over $381,000 worth of cocaine, which weighed over 8.2 pounds. Also, allegedly seized was $6,780 worth of methamphetamine, weighing 33.9 grams.

More narcotics were seized during these drug raids than during a similar operation carried out last January. However, in January, 251 people were taken into custody whereas this month only 135 were taken into custody. In addition to the arrests and drug seizers, over $54,600 in property that was illegally used was seized. Most of this property was currency. Approximately $24,000 of allegedly stolen property was also seized.

During a large-scale drug bust operation like this, it is possible that numerous individuals are arrested for drug possession. For example, it is not uncommon for a Louisiana resident to be charged with drug possession relating to prescription drugs like Xanax or other pharmaceuticals. In these cases, if the accused individual is able to show proof of an existing prescription for the drug, he or she may be able to succeed in getting his or her drug charges dropped completely. Prosecutors are not interested in trying to prove that a clearly innocent person is guilty, nor will they be able to achieve a conviction if there is reasonable doubt as to whether the individual committed the crime.

Source: theadvertiser.com, “Area police announce 135 drug-related arrests“, Katie de la Rosa, May 21, 2014