One of the most common lines of defense heard by any drug attorney, police officer, or prosecutor is "it wasn't mine!" This is extremely common when it comes to car searches in particular.
One of the most common lines of defense heard by any drug attorney, police officer, or prosecutor is "that's not mine!" This is an extremely common excuse given when it comes to car searches in particular. Of course, this makes it difficult for the driver when that really is the case. Someone stashes a bag of narcotics in the glove box without the driver's knowledge and before you know it, the driver is being brought up on charges. If you have found yourself in this situation, here are some tips on clearing your name.
If you want to present a proper defense, you'll need the assistance of a competent drug attorney. Find someone with a good reputation in your community and a long history of dealing with these cases. With him by your side, you'll need to address some specifics of your defense. For one, you'll need to identify (or discover) whose drugs were left in your car. If you want to successfully defend yourself, keeping mum on the topic is not much of an option. You can choose to go down with the ship if you want, but that is an ethical choice you'll need to make. Securing both a successful defense and protecting your friends is not going to be a viable choice.
If it isn't a simple case of your friend leaving his own stash in your car by accident, you'll need to determine who might be framing you or using your car as a hiding place. This might take some investigation, which will need to be done carefully. Your drug attorney should have some experience in this field and may be able to give you some tips as it pertains to figuring out the motives behind someone's willingness to put you in a compromised position. Look at anyone who may have borrowed your car recently or ridden in it as a passenger.
Even if you can come up with satisfying answers to the above questions, it may not be enough for your drug attorney to convince a jury of 12 of your innocence. Going into court with the mindset of "well, that should be enough," is rarely a good idea. If possible, you'll want to present an attack on how the police handled the investigation. It's within the realm of possibility that the drugs were found through improper means. If you can prove that the police violated your rights when searching the car, you could be able to get the drugs themselves thrown out of evidence, effectively ending the case. Consult with your lawyer about the many options you have when presenting a solid defense.
