A 23-year-old Fort Pierce man, Martavious Leon King, was arrested just after midnight on February 2 for a series of drug-related offenses following a search of his car by officials from the St. Lucie County sheriff’s office.

King, who was being held in the St. Lucie County Jail after failing to post bail of $120,375. He was charged with possession of a controlled substance, heroin trafficking and the intent to sell cocaine. In addition, he is also facing a charge of driving with a suspended license.

Recognition of King when he was driving a Toyota on Avenue T came from a St. Lucie County sheriff’s detective and deputy. Knowing that King’s license was under suspension and prompted by a police dog alert on the vehicle resulted in his being pulled over by the officials.

During the course of the subsequent search, the following items were found: 17 grams of crack cocaine; seven grams of bagged heroin that was prepared for purchase; six clonazepam pills; and 8.5 gabapentin pills. The latter two drugs are defined as medications to prevent seizures.

In addition to the drugs that were found, the arrest affidavit indicated that the officials also discovered $2,679 worth of cash on King.

Jeffrey Garland is a drug possession criminal lawyer who knows that cases like this don’t automatically constitute guilt. According to Florida law, a person isn’t guilty simply because they happen to be in a car where drugs are found. The individual had to know that the drugs were in the car and that he was in a position to control them.

In many cases of this type, everyone in a vehicle with drugs in it will be arrested. However, if the state of Florida is unable to prove the awareness of the drugs, the charges can be dismissed under the C-4 motion.

The types of challenges raised by a drug possession criminal lawyer such as Jeffrey Garland are varied. They can focus on techniques related to search and seizure, the legalities involved with using wiretaps to uncover information or the use of informants (confidential and otherwise) whose credibility may be open to question.

Regardless of the circumstances involved, Jeffrey Garland has been trying cases of this nature for more than 30 years. If you or someone you know is in need of a drug possession criminal lawyer, contact Jeffrey Garland today.