Ten Arrested on Meth Charges in Northern Nevada
Last week ten people were booked on drug charges after a six month investigation by law enforcement in Carson City and Lyon County into an alleged drug trafficking ring connected to Mexico. Authorities say that this organization has distributed cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamine to Virginia City, Fallon, Silver Springs, Dayton and Carson City. The arrests resulted in more than $250,000 worth of meth being seized. Most of the ten people arrested face serious trafficking charges, but one was booked for only the lesser Nevada crime of unlawful use of a controlled substance.
The Nevada crime of unlawful use of a controlled substance makes it illegal to deliberately use or be impaired by a controlled substance. Common defenses to this crime include lack of intent, that the drug was legal, or that the accused had a legal prescription. You can be arrested for this crime even if you're not out in public when you take and/or are under the influence of the drug.
The penalties for committing the Nevada crime of unlawful use of a controlled substance depends on the type of drug involved. If it's a schedule I-IV drug, it's a category E felony carrying one to four years in prison. If it's a category V drug, the sentence carries a maximum one year behind bars and maybe up to $1,000 in fines.
For more on this story, go to http://www.nevadaappeal.com/article/20101021/NEWS/101029946/1010&parentprofile=1058.
