Jacksonville Criminal Defense Attorney Blog
A string of undercover operations in Nassau County led to more than 20 arrests on serious felony charges over the past several months. All of the charges are for selling drugs in what police dubbed Operation No Trap Zone and rolled out to the media this month, complete with 20 mug shots of the people who were arrested, according to a report in the Florida Times-Union. All are facing felony charges and there are more than 50 charges combined, the newspaper reported. The arrests were all made over the past several months, but police often bring them all together in one news release to maximize the attention in the media.
Exact details were not released in this Nassau County Drug Crimes Case, but it appears undercover detectives were buying drugs from the people who were arrested. The majority of the charges are for selling cocaine, but other drugs listed in the newspaper report include marijuana and various prescription drugs. Selling cocaine is a second-degree felony with a maximum sentence of 15 years in state prison. The charge can become more severe, depending on where the alleged crime occurs. For example, if the sale is within 1,000 feet of a university, public housing facility, church, school or park, the crime becomes a first-degree felony. At that point, a conviction or guilty plea in a Nassau County Drug Crimes Case carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in state prison.
The same charges and penalties apply for the majority of the other drugs people are accused of selling in this Nassau County Drug Crimes Case. The sale of Hydrocodone, Xanax and other prescription drugs is also a second-degree felony. The only drug someone is accused of selling in this Nassau County Drug Crimes Case that is not a second-degree felony is marijuana. Sale of marijuana is a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in state prison. Penalties and sentences vary more in Nassau County Drug Crimes Cases where the issue is possessing drugs – severe penalties kick in much quicker for cocaine and pills that they do for marijuana, for example. In this Nassau County Drug Crimes Case, it does not appear that this is one large drug operation police have broken up, but rather a series of smaller enterprises. However, with this many arrests and all but one person living in Fernandina Beach, there have to be a few connections. Prosecutors are almost certainly talking to the defendants to see what they know – and if that information is valuable enough to the state to start cutting deals and getting people to testify against each other. Our Nassau County Drug Crimes Attorney has represented people facing a variety of drug crimes, including possession and sale cases. Our Nassau County Criminal Defense Attorney will thoroughly investigate your case and provide you with the information you or your loved one need to make a decision on how to proceed.
If you or a loved one needs a criminal defense attorney in Jacksonville or the surrounding area, call The Mussallem Law Firm at (904) 365-5200 for a FREE CONSULTATION. Our Nassau County Drug Crimes Attorney, Victoria “Tori” Mussallem, is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.