A 29-year-old man from Cuyahoga County, Ohio, has pleaded guilty to several weapons and drugs charges. The charges were filed in federal court and netted the man a 10-year prison stint.
The man was arrested in February after a K-9 unit alerted on the man’s car. During a search of the man’s vehicle, pills labeled as Oxycodone, crack cocaine and a scale were found. Another search at the man’s apartment lead to a recovery of more crack, more pills and a firearm. According to the federal criminal complaint, 926 pills were confiscated.
The pills, though, were not Oxycodone; they were Fentanyl, which investigators with the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office said they had not seen in the county yet. According to a June 9 article on cleveland.com, fentanyl and heroin overdose deaths have skyrocketed this year. The county is on pace to see over 500 deaths due to these two drugs this year.
The man is scheduled for sentencing on Nov. 11; although a 10-year sentence in federal prison is part of the man’s plea bargain, the judge is not bound to honor that arrangement. The judge can reject the plea bargain.
When you are facing federal drug charges, you need an attorney who is experienced in defending individuals in federal court. This court system is somewhat different that state courts and the penalties can be stiffer. An experienced lawyer can help you build a strong defense based upon the evidence of the case or can work with federal prosecutors to negotiate an acceptable plea bargain. However, it is always your choice on whether to accept a plea bargain.
Source: cleveland.com, “Euclid man accused of having over 900 fentanyl pills pleads guilty to federal charges,” Jane Morice, Aug. 16, 2016