Drug Crimes

Removing Online Arrrest Articles in Local Newspapers and The Patch

Published on: February 18, 2019 | by The Law Offices of Allan F. Friedman

We Have Many People Calling Us About Internet Arrest Articles

Lately we have been receiving a large number of inquiries from people who have had their Stamford, Darien, Greenwich, Norwalk, Westport, Fairfield and New Canaan criminal cases dismissed but still are finding the old arrest articles are on the internet and causing them problems with job searches and ruining their reputation. Yes we can help you to get these nasty articles removed and manage the situation.

Technology is constantly changing and the world of media is rapidly moving. Just a few years ago most arrest reports were published in print in the so called “Police Blotter” section which only a few local people would read who are hungry for gossip and then they would throw away the newspaper and forget about it. The problem is that with shifts in trends towards the internet and digital media the old fashioned newspaper is quickly becoming unprofitable.

What to Do if You are Under Police Investigation or Stopped by Police

Published on: February 9, 2019 | by The Law Offices of Allan F. Friedman

police-line-1-300x225 Many of my clients are terrified for obvious reasons when they are contacted by the Police and then often try to “talk their way out” of the situation. My objective in writing this blog post is to give some quick advice on what to do if you are the subject of a police investigation or a road side stop. Often, the Police have no case they can prove against you, only suspicion and conjecture which is not going to make a case stick in Court. They use manipulation, scare tactics and coercive methods to induce you to talk and give them admissions which will give them a solid case out of nothing. DO NOT fall for this trick. I am going to give you 3 easy to remember and simple rules to follow when dealing with the police that will help you avoid letting your own mouth seal the case against you. After 27 years of criminal defense I can’t count how many times I have been contacted by someone who is the subject of a police investigation and after I told the police that my client would not cooperate that was the last thing we ever heard about that case. The reason is because the police never had enough evidence to file for a warrant and were just hoping to bring my client in and get them to make an admission.

Rule #1 – I will not answer any questions. I want to speak to my lawyer.

Always remember rule #1 – when ever you are confronted by the police no matter what they threaten you with always tell them you want to speak with a lawyer and that you refuse to answer any questions. Of course you must give them your name and address and ID but that is the end of the conversation. The 5th amendment provides that no person in a criminal case shall be complelled to be a witness against themselves. This is a very powerful right. USE IT! You have the right to have a lawyer present before you answer any questions (of course we are not going to answer any questions when I get there either). The police will normally get really stressed out and say stuff like “we can do this the easy way or we can do this the hard way” when you assert the 5th amendment. That’s right its going to be hard for the police because you are going to keep your mouth shut and not say anything until you speak with your lawyer first. I don’t care if the police threaten to tow your car, raise your bond higher, go harder on you, take away your phone, etc. it does not matter. No matter what they say do not answer any questions. Just keep saying I want to speak to a lawyer.

Local Police Charge Man with Crime of Felony Possession with Intent to Sell for mere Possession of Non Criminal Quantity of Marijuana

Published on: September 17, 2017 | by The Law Offices of Allan F. Friedman

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I have been writing in my blogs and on my web page recently about the Local Police departments apparent resistance or push back against the Legislature’s efforts to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of Marijuana in 2011 and the lowering of the penalty of the possession of small quantities of cocaine and heroine from a felony to a misdemeanor in 2015. As I have explained the Police has seemingly pushed back against these legislative initiatives by up-charging or adding charges under questionable circumstances such as the crime of operation of a drug factory or possession with intent to sell. In these cases the Police really tie your hands because they take what would have been a mere non criminal violation punishable by only a fine or a misdemeanor level possession offense and they turn it into a serious felony charge for which you can be facing up to 7 years in jail for marijuana and 15 years in jail for narcotics.

In many of these trumped up possession with intent to sell charges the allegations are simply totally without any basis in fact. The bottom line is the drug dependent individuals who regularly consume drugs for their own personal use may carry a small scale to weigh the drugs they purchase to make sure that they are getting the correct amount they purchased. Similarly, regular users normally buy their stash in larger quantities to last them a few days and them break it down into individual packages for daily use. Regrettably, the local Police are going to take advantage of any of these situations to add the charge of possession with intent to sell when ever they can.

Man Charged with Possession with Intent to Sell for mere Possession of Non-Criminal Quantity of Marijuana

Drug Overdose Deaths in Connecticut on Track to Reach 1,000 in 2017 – Will The Police Turn Up the Heat on the Streets?

Published on: September 3, 2017 | by The Law Offices of Allan F. Friedman

20170616_162718_resized-225x300 This week Governor Malloy for the third straight year signed into law legislation which he sponsored aimed at curbing the growing opioid crisis in Connecticut. Although laws have been getting tougher on medical doctors and pharmacists in an attempt to stem the flow of new addicts getting hooked on prescription pain killers there seems to be a multitude of the population already hooked on these pills who responded to these new regulations and restrictions on obtaining their prescription pain pill fix by jumping to illegal opioids which have become more potent and less expensive. Obviously, these legislative efforts and in addition all the arrests that Police are making on the streets are not working as the death rate is skyrocketing. In 2012 there were approximately 250 drug overdose deaths in the State of Connecticut. In 2017 despite all these efforts the death rate has increased 4 fold and we are on a track to break 1,000 drug overdose deaths in 2017.

The root cause of this phenomena is that the new legislation and pressure on doctors has made it more difficult for individuals who were hooked on prescription opioids such as oxycodone to get refills or maintain a supply through conventional means. The price on the street for oxycodone has skyrocketed. At the same time prices for heroine have decreased dramatically and the purity has increased significantly. These trends have combined to create a perfect storm wherein an entire generation of opioid users are shifting from abuse of prescription pills to use of illegally obtained heroin on the street.

A new Monster – Fentanyl