Prosecutors in New York filed drug possession charges against a married couple on Oct. 10 after large amounts of illegal drugs and cash were allegedly discovered in their Montgomery home. The 65-year-old man and his 43-year-old wife are being held in Morris County, New Jersey, awaiting extradition to New York. An Orange County judge has also issued an arrest warrant for the man on a drug trafficking charge. The maximum custodial penalty for the drug possession charge is 20 years in a state prison. The drug trafficking count carries a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.

Cocaine distribution

The couple are accused of distributing significant quantities of cocaine in Morris County. The case was investigated by the New York and New Jersey State Police. Initial reports do not indicate what led investigators to believe that the couple were involved in narcotics trafficking activities, but they do reveal that enough evidence was gathered during the investigation to obtain a warrant to search their Loch Lane residence.

Cash and drugs seized

When the search warrant was executed, investigators allegedly discovered about 17 pounds of marijuana and almost 1.5 kilograms of cocaine. Also seized were a loaded handgun and $1,187,391 in U.S. currency along with items commonly used to weigh and package illegal drugs for distribution. Prosecutors say that the money recovered was the largest amount of cash ever cash seized during an Orange County drug search.

Challenging police searches

In cases like this one, prosecutors may find it difficult to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt if the judge excludes evidence discovered during police searches. Experience criminal law attorneys may argue that seized evidence should be ruled inadmissible and drug crimes charges dismissed if police officers obtained permission to search based on questionable probable cause or searched areas not mentioned in search warrants.