Ten Pounds of Meth, Disguised as Candy, Seized in Broward

Candy can definitely give you a sugar rush, but as our Delray Beach and Fort Lauderdale drug crime defense attorneys can imagine, it’s nothing like the manic rush initiated by consuming methamphetamine, an extremely addictive and highly illegal stimulant drug.

Despite the radical difference between candy and meth, the latter is sometimes disguised as the former as a way to bypass law enforcement officers. However, such a stunt failed recently in Broward County, when agents from multiple law enforcement groups, during a sting in Lauderhill, discovered 10 pounds of methamphetamine packaged to look like candy.

The sting kicked-off a drug case which highlights the fact that concealing illegal drugs is hard to do, especially when law enforcement officers are wise to the tricks employed by traffickers. The case, which we will discuss in this blog, also underscores the severe punishments awaiting anyone convicted of providing mere assistance to the drug transaction.

According to court records, the “candies,” which officers discovered during the sting early last month, were wrapped individually in bright packaging and had Spanish words, such as “Pinata,” on the labels. Some were made to look like simple lollipops, a far cry from methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance in the United States. (As our Delray Beach and Fort Lauderdale drug crime defense lawyers know, a drug qualifies as a Schedule II controlled substance if it has a high potential for abuse, if it has a currently accepted medical use in treatment or use in treatment with severe restrictions, and if it may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence.)

Investigators from a number of law enforcement agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Agency (the DEA), the Broward Sheriff’s office and Sunrise Police, arrested a 24-year-old and traced the source of the drugs disguised as candy to a home in Bradenton. Late last month, the young man was indicted on federal charges of, according to the Sun-Sentinel, conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Although he’s pleaded not guilty to the charges and remains in a Broward jail, he could face prison time of anywhere between 10 years and life should he be convicted of his transportation-related role in what he thought was a drug deal.

In other words, despite not being a ringleader of the drug-dealing operation broken up by law enforcement officers, the 24-year-old might have to spend decades behind bars.

Just after his arrest on July 7, as our Delray Beach and Fort Lauderdale drug crime defense lawyers at the Law Offices of Leifert & Leifert know, the young man admitted to being paid $2,000 for driving the meth to what the 24-year-old thought was a drug dealer; as it turned out, the would-be deal was a sting operation, and the receiving drug dealer was actually a group of law enforcement agents.

The Sun-Sentinel has reported that there are a number of other related cases being investigated and prosecuted, which are taking place in Florida and also involve meth disguised as candy.

If you have any question about this or any other criminal defense issue, or if you have been arrested for or charged with a drug crime or any other crime in Palm Beach, Broward and/or Miami-Dade County, please contact our drug crime defense lawyers at Leifert & Leifert by calling 1-888-5-DEFEND (1-888-533-3363). We look forward to assisting you!