Fort Worth Criminal Defense Lawyer Fights Highway Interdiction
Refusing To Back Down from Injustice
Police officers put their lives on the line every day, which is why our
Fort Worth attorney at the Law Offices of David Sloane have the utmost
respect for the men and women who continue to defend us against danger.
However, sometimes, there can be possible instances of police officers
going beyond their jurisdiction and wrongfully stopping, searching, or
arresting people for reasons unknown. This occurs often on routes believed
to be used for smuggling
drugs such as marijuana, and it is known as highway interdiction.
What is highway interdiction? Simply put, it is when an officer stops a
high volume of motorists for nefarious or trivial reasons, looking for
opportunities to search them. Police officers then separate the driver
from the passengers and engage in idle chat, asking them about their destination.
After questioning, drivers will be put under pressure to having their
vehicle searched under the guise of reasonable suspicion, and soon after,
drug-sniffing dogs will arrive.
Most of these motorists are returning from Colorado. Highway interdiction
is often enforced by the Texas Highway Patrol along Interstate 40 in the
Oldham, Carson, Gray, and Wheeler counties. These enforcement activities
also often occur along US 287, south of Potter County, as well as the
Childress, Hardman, Willbarger, Wichita, Clay, Montague, and Wise counties.
Unsuspecting tourists are the target of highway interdiction, unaware
their THC-infused drinks and edibles from Colorado would constitute a
felony charge. Because the THC is not measured and simply the entire item
is weighed, these felonies can get very serious.
What is Asset Forfeiture?
As if the above wasn’t bad enough, officers may also engage in other
interdiction activities such as asset forfeiture--which is when these
officers look out for money or anything valuable they can confiscate from
the people they have pulled over. Civil asset forfeiture is used primarily
to aid in the war against drugs and to seize property from people suspected
of involvement in the drugs trade. However, this procedure isn’t
heavily regulated and officers can often seize large amounts of cash or
even people’s cars due to probable cause. Probably cause may be
simply the motorist carrying a larger amount of cash than would be deemed usual.
Contact Our Fort Worth Criminal Defense Lawyer
If you were wrongfully stopped and faced any of the above, our 420 defense
lawyer at the
Law Offices of David Sloane are willing to fight for your rights. Whether you have been charged with
a felony for unknowingly bringing items from Colorado, or experienced
unlawful asset forfeiture and are now missing money or other valuable
items, we will fight for you. We have over 20 years of experience and
determination to fight for justice when you feel all hope is lost.
To speak to a representative today about your options, call us at (817)
349-7118.