75 Pounds of Marijuana was Seized by LMPD

K-9 sniffing resulted in marijuana seized by LMPDTwo men were arrested after a police K-9 detected marijuana in a trailer being towed by a vehicle.  During the stop, for a turn signal violation, 75 pounds of marijuana was seized by LMPD officers.

I’ve commented multiple times that police and other authorities often know more about the occurrence of criminal activity than the alleged perpetrators might think.  In this situation, police had a home under surveillance.  An SUV and a Dodge Ram left the house at the same time.  Police trailed the vehicles and waited for an opportunity to pull over one or both drivers.

At this time, I still have to question why the Dodge Ram was actually stopped.  It was the driver of the other SUV who made failed to use a turn signal.  This was all LMPD needed to pull over the SUV.

Did it constitute probable cause?

The police can stop a car for a variety of reasons.  If you’re under surveillance, they’ll look for the smallest of openings to do it.  In this situation, the driver of the SUV neglected to use a turn signal.  Once the officer(s) approached the car and began questioning the driver and passengers, any evidence they see or detect may be admissible as evidence.

As a Louisville defense attorney who handles drug charges, I would look closely to determine what gave the officers their reasonable and articulable suspicion to investigate the Dodge Ram and trailer.  Obviously, the K-9 dog reacted once it smelled the marijuana.  Was there a reasonable explanation as to why they had the dog sniff the trailer of a vehicle not involved in the traffic violation?

Potential Marijuana Charges

When officers find drugs, they can arrest you on a number of charges.  Here are some of the more common ones that could apply to this situation:

Common sense might have dictated that the driver of the Dodge Ram continue past the SUV, instead of stopping with it.  That decision seems to be ultimately why the 75 pounds of marijuana was seized by LMPD.

Was it an Illegal Search and Seizure?

From the available news reports, many of the details are unknown at this time.  However, as a Louisville criminal defense attorney with over 25 years of experience, I would look for any and every reason to get the evidence dismissed under rules related to an illegal search and seizure.

More information will become available in the near future.  The fact that 75 pounds of marijuana was seized by LMPD, probably got the attention of other distributors.  If you suspect you’re being surveilled by the police, DEA, FBI or other authorities, speak to a criminal defense lawyer, immediately.  Once they find an opening, your world will get very complicated, much more quickly that you might expect.