Tennessee Criminal Lawyer Blog

One of the first rules of shipping illegal drugs would probably be to make sure the package is not suspicious. Thus, it is probably a good idea to use generic named and make the package as nondescript as possible. This strategy is one that can backfire, however, if the names are too generic. As an example of how a sound strategy can go wrong, we need only look to a recent seizure of six pounds of marijuana that was packaged in a box sent by “Grandpa Henderson” from San Diego to “Grandma Henderson” in Talladega. Postal workers immediately suspected the package due to the super-generic labeling and contacted a task force who brought a K-9 over to sniff the package. The dog alerted to the package, so the task force waited to see who came to pick it up. Needless to say, it was not Grandma Henderson that showed up but rather three men who were promptly arrested after picking up the package.

Sometimes even the best laid plans don’t come to fruition and Tennesseans find themselves on the wrong side of the law. Situations like the one described above, where a defendant is seemingly caught red-handed, may seem hopeless but an experienced criminal attorney can assist a defendant in trying to fight the charges regardless of how desperate the situation may seem. For example, possession of drugs with the intent to distribute in Tennessee is a “knowing” offense, so a defendant may be able to claim that he or she did not know what was in the package and thus had no intent to possess the drugs. Likewise, a defendant is often able to contest a search and seizure of a package or container when it isn’t conducted according to the defendant’s constitutional rights. Defendants who find themselves in precarious positions such as the one described above should seek skilled legal counsel in order to be able to present the best defense.

Source: http://news.findlaw.com/ap/other/features/1120/07-29-2010/20100729045007_57.html