By Nick Dorsten, Esq.
While we have blogged about drug stings often before, here is another one that nabbed 41 arrests (from the St. Pete Times website)...
Pinellas — The phony prescriptions were printed out on a home computer and passed out to "runners" who got them filled at local pharmacies.
Then the pain pills were divvied up: half for the runner to keep, half for the drug dealer to sell at street prices that, in some parts of Florida, are up to 30 times what they cost at a pharmacy.
Authorities said that's how more than 400,000 30-milligram oxycodone tablets got into the wrong hands during a nine-month span beginning in October 2009.
On Monday, several local law enforcement agencies launched a multi-jurisdictional effort to arrest some of the members of a sophisticated Tampa Bay area drug trafficking ring.
By day's end, officials had located 41 of the 72 people sought in the second phase of Operation No Appointment Necessary. Some were already in local jails; others were arrested in Pinellas, Pasco and Hernando counties. The first phase, which began in March, has so far netted 66 of 94 suspects. And investigators had previously made about 140 other arrests in connection with the case.
Monday's sweep was a joint effort between the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office Countywide Diversion Task Force, the Pasco County Sheriff's Office, the Hernando County Sheriff's Office and the New Port Richey Police Department.
Officials say those being arrested as part of both phases of the operation were mostly low-level offenders, accused of passing the fake prescriptions or doctor shopping. The top tier of the organization has already been "dismantled," said a Pinellas County Sheriff's Office Captain.
Those people are facing federal charges, but the captain declined to identify them, citing the ongoing nature of the large-scale investigation.
During the investigation, detectives identified 27 doctors whose names were being fraudulently used by the drug ring. The doctors, whose prescription pads had been stolen or duplicated, cooperated with investigators.
Monday's sweep came just a few weeks after a state report revealed that the number of people fatally overdosing on prescription drugs in Florida went up nearly 9 percent from 2009 to 2010.
According to the report, the Pinellas-Pasco medical examiner's district led the state in 2010 in deaths from all six of the most lethal prescription drugs — oxycodone, alprazolam (Xanax), methadone(Vicodin), morphine and diazepam (Valium).
And addiction is at the heart of the matter, officials said.
"A lot of people get involved because of addiction situations," the captain said. "They are addicted to these painkillers and they have to feed their addiction by going out and getting these pills and then they sell them as well as using them."
Oxycodone pills that cost about $1 apiece at a pharmacy are going for $8 to $15 on the street in the Tampa Bay area. In more rural areas of North Florida, they can bring as much as $30 a pill.
Detectives estimate the value of the pills received through the fraudulent prescriptions in this investigation at more than $4 million.
Have you or someone you loved been arrested for a drug or a drug trafficking charge? Then contact the law offices of Blake & Dorsten, P.A. to speak with an experienced Pinellas criminal defense lawyer now!
Our office is located at 4707 140th ave. N, Suite 107, Clearwater, FL 33762, across from the criminal courthouse and minutes from Tampa and St. Petersburg. You can contact your St. Petersburg criminal defense attorney by phone at 727.286.6141 or online at info@BlakeDorstenLaw.com.
Welcome to the blog of a Clearwater-based Tampa bay area criminal defense attorney. Visit our website at www.BlakeDorstenLaw.com or call us at 727-286-6141 for all your legal needs. Our office is located across from the 49th street criminal courthouse, minutes from Tampa and St. Petersburg at 4707 140th Ave N, Suite 104, Clearwater 33762.
Showing posts with label drug trafficking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label drug trafficking. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Monday, August 15, 2011
Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Lawyer - Drug Bust!
By Nick Dorsten, Esq.
Right on the heels of recent stories of drug stings (see here and here for instance), comes another blurb from yahoo news regarding a recent large drug sting that nabbed over 2,000 arrests!
..US authorities have arrested nearly 2,000 people on narcotics charges in a 20-month sting targeting a Mexican drug cartel, the US Justice Department said Thursday.
The ongoing multi-agency takedown saw 1,985 people arrested, along with the seizure of about $62 million in US dollars, and more than 12 tons of drugs.
The arrests and charges were carried out in 12 states and the US capital Washington in a major operation dubbed "Project Delirium" and the announcement came just two months after Mexican law enforcement officials arrested the drug cartel leader.
"Project Delirium is the second successful, strategic and surgical strike to disrupt and destroy one of the most violent Mexican cartels," said an administrator of the US Drug Enforcement Administration.
"Through their violent drug trafficking activities, including their hallmark of supplying most of the methamphetamine imported into the United States, (this drug cartel) is responsible for recklessly and violently destroying countless lives on both sides of the border."
Among the drugs which were rounded up were 2,773 pounds (1,258 kilograms) of methamphetamine, 6,000 pounds (2,722 kilograms) of cocaine, 1,005 pounds (456 kilograms) of heroin, 14,818 pounds (6,721 kilograms) of marijuana and $3.8 million in other assets.
A Deputy Attorney General said Project Delirium and other such efforts were "disrupting the operations of Mexican drug cartels in the United States and Mexico."
"The arrests and seizures we are announcing today have stripped (the drug cartel) of its manpower, its deadly product and its profit, and helped make communities large and small safer," he added, vowing cooperation with Mexican law enforcement to "diminish and ultimately eliminate" drug cartels.
Since June 1 alone, 221 individuals were arrested across the United States, including over 70 people just Wednesday and Thursday, as part of the operation, according to US Justice Department figures.
Mexico's Secretary of Public Security hailed the "increased information-sharing and collaboration with the DEA," saying it had allowed for more significant arrests and seizures of drugs and money.
Those arrested under the operation were charged with a variety of crimes ranging from distribution of methamphetamines, cocaine and marijuana, money laundering and conspiracy to import narcotics into the United States.
The multi-agency Special Operations Division coordinated the investigative efforts -- with agents culled from the DEA, FBI, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Internal Revenue Service, US Customs and Border Protection, US Marshals Service and the Justice Department.
More than 300 federal, state, local and foreign law enforcement agencies participated in the operation.
Have you been arrested on meth or drug trafficking charges? Then the Pinellas, Florida based Blake & Dorsten, P.A. Pinellas criminal defense lawyers are at your service.
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced Pinellas County criminal defense attorneys, please contact the law firm of BLAKE AND DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the defense lawyers at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com
Right on the heels of recent stories of drug stings (see here and here for instance), comes another blurb from yahoo news regarding a recent large drug sting that nabbed over 2,000 arrests!
..US authorities have arrested nearly 2,000 people on narcotics charges in a 20-month sting targeting a Mexican drug cartel, the US Justice Department said Thursday.
The ongoing multi-agency takedown saw 1,985 people arrested, along with the seizure of about $62 million in US dollars, and more than 12 tons of drugs.
The arrests and charges were carried out in 12 states and the US capital Washington in a major operation dubbed "Project Delirium" and the announcement came just two months after Mexican law enforcement officials arrested the drug cartel leader.
"Project Delirium is the second successful, strategic and surgical strike to disrupt and destroy one of the most violent Mexican cartels," said an administrator of the US Drug Enforcement Administration.
"Through their violent drug trafficking activities, including their hallmark of supplying most of the methamphetamine imported into the United States, (this drug cartel) is responsible for recklessly and violently destroying countless lives on both sides of the border."
Among the drugs which were rounded up were 2,773 pounds (1,258 kilograms) of methamphetamine, 6,000 pounds (2,722 kilograms) of cocaine, 1,005 pounds (456 kilograms) of heroin, 14,818 pounds (6,721 kilograms) of marijuana and $3.8 million in other assets.
A Deputy Attorney General said Project Delirium and other such efforts were "disrupting the operations of Mexican drug cartels in the United States and Mexico."
"The arrests and seizures we are announcing today have stripped (the drug cartel) of its manpower, its deadly product and its profit, and helped make communities large and small safer," he added, vowing cooperation with Mexican law enforcement to "diminish and ultimately eliminate" drug cartels.
Since June 1 alone, 221 individuals were arrested across the United States, including over 70 people just Wednesday and Thursday, as part of the operation, according to US Justice Department figures.
Mexico's Secretary of Public Security hailed the "increased information-sharing and collaboration with the DEA," saying it had allowed for more significant arrests and seizures of drugs and money.
Those arrested under the operation were charged with a variety of crimes ranging from distribution of methamphetamines, cocaine and marijuana, money laundering and conspiracy to import narcotics into the United States.
The multi-agency Special Operations Division coordinated the investigative efforts -- with agents culled from the DEA, FBI, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Internal Revenue Service, US Customs and Border Protection, US Marshals Service and the Justice Department.
More than 300 federal, state, local and foreign law enforcement agencies participated in the operation.
Have you been arrested on meth or drug trafficking charges? Then the Pinellas, Florida based Blake & Dorsten, P.A. Pinellas criminal defense lawyers are at your service.
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced Pinellas County criminal defense attorneys, please contact the law firm of BLAKE AND DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the defense lawyers at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com
Friday, August 12, 2011
Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Lawyer - Clearwater Sting Operation
By Nicholas Dorsten, Esq.
Like previous undercover drug stings, this short blurb (from the times website)shows that the drug scourge in Pinellas may be getting worse...
CLEARWATER — Police have arrested 11 people this week on various drug charges during a round-up of suspects, authorities said.
One of those arrested was also charged with a prostitution offense, the Clearwater police said.
The department's vice and narcotics unit, along with the anti-crime team, arrested the following:
• A man, 35, of Drew St., two counts of sale and possession of cocaine, a violation of probation.
• A man, 46, of Fort Harrison Ave., sale and possession of cocaine.
• A man, 24, of Applewood Drive., three counts sale and possession of cocaine.
• A man, 38, of Clearwater-Largo Road, Largo, two counts trafficking in hydrocodone.
• A woman, 62, of Lincoln Ave., sale and possession of Oxycodone.
The same units also conducted an undercover detail focusing on narcotics activity and prostitution in various areas throughout Clearwater, including East Gateway and the downtown corridor. The following were arrested during that operation:
• A man, 19, of Palm Harbor, sale and possession of cocaine.
• A man, 48, of 14th Ave., sale and possession of cocaine.
• A man, 42, transient of Clearwater, sale and possession of cocaine, resisting an officer without violence.
• A woman, 31, transient, sale of cocaine, soliciting prostitution.
• A man, 24, of Homestead, sale of cocaine.
• A woman, 40, of sale and possession of cocaine.
Have you been arrested on drug trafficking or cocaine charges? Then the Clearwater, Florida based Blake & Dorsten, P.A. Clearwater criminal defense lawyers are at your service.
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced Clearwater criminal defense attorneys, please contact the law firm of BLAKE AND DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the defense lawyers at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com
Like previous undercover drug stings, this short blurb (from the times website)shows that the drug scourge in Pinellas may be getting worse...
CLEARWATER — Police have arrested 11 people this week on various drug charges during a round-up of suspects, authorities said.
One of those arrested was also charged with a prostitution offense, the Clearwater police said.
The department's vice and narcotics unit, along with the anti-crime team, arrested the following:
• A man, 35, of Drew St., two counts of sale and possession of cocaine, a violation of probation.
• A man, 46, of Fort Harrison Ave., sale and possession of cocaine.
• A man, 24, of Applewood Drive., three counts sale and possession of cocaine.
• A man, 38, of Clearwater-Largo Road, Largo, two counts trafficking in hydrocodone.
• A woman, 62, of Lincoln Ave., sale and possession of Oxycodone.
The same units also conducted an undercover detail focusing on narcotics activity and prostitution in various areas throughout Clearwater, including East Gateway and the downtown corridor. The following were arrested during that operation:
• A man, 19, of Palm Harbor, sale and possession of cocaine.
• A man, 48, of 14th Ave., sale and possession of cocaine.
• A man, 42, transient of Clearwater, sale and possession of cocaine, resisting an officer without violence.
• A woman, 31, transient, sale of cocaine, soliciting prostitution.
• A man, 24, of Homestead, sale of cocaine.
• A woman, 40, of sale and possession of cocaine.
Have you been arrested on drug trafficking or cocaine charges? Then the Clearwater, Florida based Blake & Dorsten, P.A. Clearwater criminal defense lawyers are at your service.
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced Clearwater criminal defense attorneys, please contact the law firm of BLAKE AND DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the defense lawyers at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com
Monday, June 27, 2011
Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Lawyer - Human Trafficking in Pinellas County
By Nicholas Dorsten, Esq.
From the St. Petersburg Times, an article that discusses a rare crime in Pinellas...human trafficking.
LARGO — The young woman said she was smitten by the older man who frequented the local strip club where she worked as a dancer.
After she performed a private dance for him in a limo in January 2010, the two began dating. He promised he'd take care of her, she said, and based on that promise, she moved into his Largo home.
But instead, she said, he soon began to monitor her every move, took away her cell phone, began forbidding her to see family and friends and plied her with oxycodone in exchange for sexual favors, she said.
She told no one the full story, she said — until Tuesday, when police finally came to his home and the woman opened up to them.
After serving a search warrant and finding prescription drugs, more than $80,000 in cash and a ledger documenting how much oxycodone the man was giving her, Largo police arrested the 63-year-old man, living in Largo and charged him with human trafficking, a rare charge in Pinellas County.
Police said the suspect, a felon, controlled the woman for about a year and a half, keeping her as a virtual prisoner by taking advantage of her addiction to oxycodone. The suspect kept the drugs locked up in a 400-pound safe at his home they shared, police said.
"She has an addiction where he would end up supplying her, kind of preying on that addiction, because he had the ability to supply the narcotics she was addicted to," said a Largo police Lt. "She felt like she was trapped there or couldn't go anywhere."
The police is not naming the woman at time of publication due to the nature of the allegations.
But in a seperate interview Wednesday afternoon, the woman said the suspect initially offered her "a beautiful life." Then, after she moved into his beige stucco home in his quiet neighborhood south of Ulmerton Road, her "savior" began cutting off her ties with family and friends, she said. He threatened to hurt her or her loved ones if she told anyone what was happening, she said.
"He took anything and everything I had, any resources I had to get out," she said.
The woman did eventually acknowledged she was "highly addicted" to narcotic painkillers when she met the suspect, having gotten hooked on them after she suffered a debilitating back injury when she fell off a roof as a teenager. The man would dole out the pills to her and keep track in the ledger, she said.
In an arrest report, police said the suspect "began to control her movements and her dosages of oxycodone for sexual favors." Police said the suspect went so far as to have an alarm system at his house and refused to give the woman the code so he would know if she tried to leave. He also made her give him money she made at her job and he kept track of what she owed him, according to the report.
The woman said the suspect would go to her job and watch her, at times throwing fits if she talked to other people.
Police say they became aware of the situation after the suspect called them Tuesday morning, saying he wanted the woman out of his house.
After the woman told officers her side of the story, police got the warrant and found the money, the ledger and various drugs. The man also was charged with trafficking in oxycodone and possession of Xanax (an antianxiety medication), Trazadone and Fluoxetine (both antidepressants), Carisprodol (a muscle relaxer) and marijuana.
Human trafficking is a worldwide issue that generally takes the form of forced labor, domestic servitude or forced prostitution. Trafficked people can be physically forced or coerced or deceived into various exploits, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
In Pinellas County, the suspect is the seventh person charged with human trafficking over the past two years. In December, local authorities found 27 Hispanic and Asian people in two homes in Largo and Clearwater. The disposition of that case was still unresolved as of Wednesday.
The suspect owns the roughly 2,000-square-foot house with his wife, according to Pinellas County property appraiser records. Pinellas civil court documents show the man's wife (not surprisingly) filed for divorce in February. That case is ongoing.
Wednesday evening, the suspect was being held in the Pinellas County Jail in lieu of over $70,000 bail.
While he does not have a criminal history in Florida. But he was sentenced to a year in federal prison in Massachusetts in 1999 after he was convicted of charges related to selling cable television descramblers and descrambling kits that helped people get premium and pay-per-view channels without paying for them, according to federal court records and news reports.
Have you been arrested on prescription pill or trafficking in oxycodone charges? Then the Pinellas, Florida based Blake & Dorsten, P.A. Pinellas criminal defense lawyers are at your service.
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced Pinellas County criminal defense attorneys, please contact the law firm of BLAKE AND DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141or email the defense lawyers at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com
From the St. Petersburg Times, an article that discusses a rare crime in Pinellas...human trafficking.
LARGO — The young woman said she was smitten by the older man who frequented the local strip club where she worked as a dancer.
After she performed a private dance for him in a limo in January 2010, the two began dating. He promised he'd take care of her, she said, and based on that promise, she moved into his Largo home.
But instead, she said, he soon began to monitor her every move, took away her cell phone, began forbidding her to see family and friends and plied her with oxycodone in exchange for sexual favors, she said.
She told no one the full story, she said — until Tuesday, when police finally came to his home and the woman opened up to them.
After serving a search warrant and finding prescription drugs, more than $80,000 in cash and a ledger documenting how much oxycodone the man was giving her, Largo police arrested the 63-year-old man, living in Largo and charged him with human trafficking, a rare charge in Pinellas County.
Police said the suspect, a felon, controlled the woman for about a year and a half, keeping her as a virtual prisoner by taking advantage of her addiction to oxycodone. The suspect kept the drugs locked up in a 400-pound safe at his home they shared, police said.
"She has an addiction where he would end up supplying her, kind of preying on that addiction, because he had the ability to supply the narcotics she was addicted to," said a Largo police Lt. "She felt like she was trapped there or couldn't go anywhere."
The police is not naming the woman at time of publication due to the nature of the allegations.
But in a seperate interview Wednesday afternoon, the woman said the suspect initially offered her "a beautiful life." Then, after she moved into his beige stucco home in his quiet neighborhood south of Ulmerton Road, her "savior" began cutting off her ties with family and friends, she said. He threatened to hurt her or her loved ones if she told anyone what was happening, she said.
"He took anything and everything I had, any resources I had to get out," she said.
The woman did eventually acknowledged she was "highly addicted" to narcotic painkillers when she met the suspect, having gotten hooked on them after she suffered a debilitating back injury when she fell off a roof as a teenager. The man would dole out the pills to her and keep track in the ledger, she said.
In an arrest report, police said the suspect "began to control her movements and her dosages of oxycodone for sexual favors." Police said the suspect went so far as to have an alarm system at his house and refused to give the woman the code so he would know if she tried to leave. He also made her give him money she made at her job and he kept track of what she owed him, according to the report.
The woman said the suspect would go to her job and watch her, at times throwing fits if she talked to other people.
Police say they became aware of the situation after the suspect called them Tuesday morning, saying he wanted the woman out of his house.
After the woman told officers her side of the story, police got the warrant and found the money, the ledger and various drugs. The man also was charged with trafficking in oxycodone and possession of Xanax (an antianxiety medication), Trazadone and Fluoxetine (both antidepressants), Carisprodol (a muscle relaxer) and marijuana.
Human trafficking is a worldwide issue that generally takes the form of forced labor, domestic servitude or forced prostitution. Trafficked people can be physically forced or coerced or deceived into various exploits, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
In Pinellas County, the suspect is the seventh person charged with human trafficking over the past two years. In December, local authorities found 27 Hispanic and Asian people in two homes in Largo and Clearwater. The disposition of that case was still unresolved as of Wednesday.
The suspect owns the roughly 2,000-square-foot house with his wife, according to Pinellas County property appraiser records. Pinellas civil court documents show the man's wife (not surprisingly) filed for divorce in February. That case is ongoing.
Wednesday evening, the suspect was being held in the Pinellas County Jail in lieu of over $70,000 bail.
While he does not have a criminal history in Florida. But he was sentenced to a year in federal prison in Massachusetts in 1999 after he was convicted of charges related to selling cable television descramblers and descrambling kits that helped people get premium and pay-per-view channels without paying for them, according to federal court records and news reports.
Have you been arrested on prescription pill or trafficking in oxycodone charges? Then the Pinellas, Florida based Blake & Dorsten, P.A. Pinellas criminal defense lawyers are at your service.
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced Pinellas County criminal defense attorneys, please contact the law firm of BLAKE AND DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141or email the defense lawyers at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com
Friday, June 24, 2011
Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Lawyer - celebrity drug bust the finale
By Nicholas Dorsten, Esq.
Having previously written about the reggae star Buju Banton and his criminal troubles (click on the links for background), here is information on his sentencing on drug trafficking charges...
TAMPA — Criminal defense attorneys for Buju Banton did all they could to remind jurors and a judge that their client was an international reggae star, not a drug kingpin.
They displayed his album covers during Banton's drug conspiracy trial in February. They called Bob Marley's son as a witness and told jurors Banton had won a Grammy.
And on the first page of a recent court filing, attorneys even included a photo of Banton performing on stage.
But it was convicted drug defendant Mark Myrie — Banton's given name — that a federal judge sentenced to 10 years and one month in prison Thursday after his conviction for setting up a deal to buy 11 pounds of cocaine with the intent to distribute it.
Banton, 37, a South Florida resident, had faced 10 years to life in prison.
With good behavior and time already served, Banton could be out of prison in six years, his attorneys told reporters outside the Tampa federal courthouse.
Banton's attorney vowed that his client would one day return to the recording studio. Upon release, he said, Banton will go back to his native Jamaica.
"His career is not over," Banton's attorney said. "We're looking forward to him winning some more Grammys."
Banton did not speak at the sentencing. But afterward, his lawyer read a statement written by his client from jail:
"The days that lie ahead are filled with despair, but I have courage and grace and I'm hopeful, and that is sufficient to carry me through. The man is not dead. Don't call him a ghost."
Dozens of letters were sent to the U.S. District Court Judge in support of Banton, including one from actor Danny Glover, a friend of the musician's.
Glover said Banton's music "addresses every aspect of life and feeds the heart, mind, body and soul, bringing a message of hope."
NBA player Etan Thomas wrote, "His songs have guided and inspired me since I was in middle school."
Banton's son Mykaheil, 10, wrote, "I don't know why daddy let the devil tempt him to do wrong. I know that he has changed for the better."
But in the end, the words of the prosecutor, spoken at trial, may provide the epitaph on Banton's career.
"This is not about Buju Banton, the reggae singer," he said. "This is about Mark Myrie, the drug defendant."
The Judge said he disagreed with the argument that a snitch for the government had lured an otherwise law-abiding Banton into the drug deal.
The Judge said, "At no time … did Mr. Myrie ever say, 'No, forget cocaine. Leave me alone.' He never said that. And he could have said that."
Jurors had found Banton guilty of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine; using a telephone to help commit a drug offense; and a gun charge because a co-defendant brought a firearm to the drug deal.
But the Judge dismissed the gun charge, saying Banton could not have foreseen a co-defendant bringing the firearm.
The singer's trial opened Feb. 14, a day after he won a Grammy for best reggae album. Banton recorded the album, Before the Dawn, prior to his December 2009 arrest, working on post-production from a jail phone.
This was Banton's second trial. A jury deadlocked at the first in September 2010.
Banton's troubles began on a flight from Spain to the United States in 2009. Banton had the ill fortune to sit next to an informer who has earned $3.3 million in the last 14 years working for federal agents.
Prosecutors said Banton boasted to the snitch that he had been involved in a big cocaine ring. They said Banton talked about wanting to set up a drug deal with the informant.
Prosecutors presented audio tapes and videos of Banton they say proved his culpability in setting up the purchase of $135,000 in cocaine.
In a video, Banton is seen tasting cocaine at a Sarasota warehouse on Dec. 8, 2009. But days later, he was not present as the deal was finalized. Prosecutors said he knew it was happening.
Banton testified he was just a boastful talker trying to impress the informer because the man said he could help his career.
Banton was being held at the Pinellas County Jail until he is transferred to federal prison.
When his sentencing was over and U.S. marshals led him away, someone called out, "We love you, Buju."
Banton looked to a friend and said softly, "See you."
Have you or a loved one been arrested for a drug charge, drug trafficking or violent crime? Then contact the Clearwater criminal defense attorneys of Blake & Dorsten, P.A. for a free consultation!
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced Clearwater criminal defense lawyers please contact BLAKE & DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the lawyers your questions at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com. We are located at 4707 140th Ave N, Suite 104 in Clearwater, across from the criminal courthouse in the airport business center, minutes from Tampa and St. Petersburg.
Having previously written about the reggae star Buju Banton and his criminal troubles (click on the links for background), here is information on his sentencing on drug trafficking charges...
TAMPA — Criminal defense attorneys for Buju Banton did all they could to remind jurors and a judge that their client was an international reggae star, not a drug kingpin.
They displayed his album covers during Banton's drug conspiracy trial in February. They called Bob Marley's son as a witness and told jurors Banton had won a Grammy.
And on the first page of a recent court filing, attorneys even included a photo of Banton performing on stage.
But it was convicted drug defendant Mark Myrie — Banton's given name — that a federal judge sentenced to 10 years and one month in prison Thursday after his conviction for setting up a deal to buy 11 pounds of cocaine with the intent to distribute it.
Banton, 37, a South Florida resident, had faced 10 years to life in prison.
With good behavior and time already served, Banton could be out of prison in six years, his attorneys told reporters outside the Tampa federal courthouse.
Banton's attorney vowed that his client would one day return to the recording studio. Upon release, he said, Banton will go back to his native Jamaica.
"His career is not over," Banton's attorney said. "We're looking forward to him winning some more Grammys."
Banton did not speak at the sentencing. But afterward, his lawyer read a statement written by his client from jail:
"The days that lie ahead are filled with despair, but I have courage and grace and I'm hopeful, and that is sufficient to carry me through. The man is not dead. Don't call him a ghost."
Dozens of letters were sent to the U.S. District Court Judge in support of Banton, including one from actor Danny Glover, a friend of the musician's.
Glover said Banton's music "addresses every aspect of life and feeds the heart, mind, body and soul, bringing a message of hope."
NBA player Etan Thomas wrote, "His songs have guided and inspired me since I was in middle school."
Banton's son Mykaheil, 10, wrote, "I don't know why daddy let the devil tempt him to do wrong. I know that he has changed for the better."
But in the end, the words of the prosecutor, spoken at trial, may provide the epitaph on Banton's career.
"This is not about Buju Banton, the reggae singer," he said. "This is about Mark Myrie, the drug defendant."
The Judge said he disagreed with the argument that a snitch for the government had lured an otherwise law-abiding Banton into the drug deal.
The Judge said, "At no time … did Mr. Myrie ever say, 'No, forget cocaine. Leave me alone.' He never said that. And he could have said that."
Jurors had found Banton guilty of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine; using a telephone to help commit a drug offense; and a gun charge because a co-defendant brought a firearm to the drug deal.
But the Judge dismissed the gun charge, saying Banton could not have foreseen a co-defendant bringing the firearm.
The singer's trial opened Feb. 14, a day after he won a Grammy for best reggae album. Banton recorded the album, Before the Dawn, prior to his December 2009 arrest, working on post-production from a jail phone.
This was Banton's second trial. A jury deadlocked at the first in September 2010.
Banton's troubles began on a flight from Spain to the United States in 2009. Banton had the ill fortune to sit next to an informer who has earned $3.3 million in the last 14 years working for federal agents.
Prosecutors said Banton boasted to the snitch that he had been involved in a big cocaine ring. They said Banton talked about wanting to set up a drug deal with the informant.
Prosecutors presented audio tapes and videos of Banton they say proved his culpability in setting up the purchase of $135,000 in cocaine.
In a video, Banton is seen tasting cocaine at a Sarasota warehouse on Dec. 8, 2009. But days later, he was not present as the deal was finalized. Prosecutors said he knew it was happening.
Banton testified he was just a boastful talker trying to impress the informer because the man said he could help his career.
Banton was being held at the Pinellas County Jail until he is transferred to federal prison.
When his sentencing was over and U.S. marshals led him away, someone called out, "We love you, Buju."
Banton looked to a friend and said softly, "See you."
Have you or a loved one been arrested for a drug charge, drug trafficking or violent crime? Then contact the Clearwater criminal defense attorneys of Blake & Dorsten, P.A. for a free consultation!
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced Clearwater criminal defense lawyers please contact BLAKE & DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the lawyers your questions at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com. We are located at 4707 140th Ave N, Suite 104 in Clearwater, across from the criminal courthouse in the airport business center, minutes from Tampa and St. Petersburg.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Lawyer - Tampa surgeon gets busted for drugs
By Nicholas Dorsten, Esq.
While we have talked about doctors and "pill mills" before and again, here is a doctor in Tampa who is in trouble for using patient's names to get Demerol for herself and her boyfriend...
TAMPA — She was licensed to perform cosmetic surgery and had access to pain medicines at her Tampa clinic. But police are investigating allegations that Dr. Christina Paylan used patient names to get Demerol for herself.
She injected it with her boyfriend in the $510,000 home they share near Bayshore Boulevard, police allege in court records. Detectives found empty Demerol packages in a trash can at the curb and in the bathroom.
This month, Tampa police arrested Paylan, 43, and her boyfriend,55, accusing them of illegally possessing Demerol, an addictive narcotic similar to morphine in strength. Paylan was also charged with trafficking hydrocodone and possessing Valium and Xanax.
An office manager estimated that one patient who came to the clinic for massages and Demerol injections had spent $100,000 on Demerol, a search warrant affidavit states.
The employee told a local newspaper that Paylan fired him June 11, the day she was released on $54,250 bond.
The police investigation started in October, shortly after a "concerned family member" of her boyfriend hired a private investigator, the affidavit states.
The investigator searched a trash bin at the end of the couple's driveway at 3110 W Harbor View Ave. in Tampa's Bayshore Beautiful neighborhood. Twice, he found empty boxes of Demerol, bloody bandages and used syringes, the affidavit states. Police found the same type of trash when they searched later that month.
Paylan, the director of Cosmetic Surgery of Tampa Bay at 3230 W Kennedy Blvd., declined to comment, citing her attorney's advice.
Her Criminal Defense attorney wrote in an e-mail that Paylan denies every allegation and "knows she will be exonerated at the conclusion of the process."
The suspect's boyfriend did not respond to messages left on his phone or at his house. In jail records, he listed his occupation as CEO of Proper Power & Energy. The firm's website describes it as an exploration and production company for oil and gas.
His son has cooperated with police and told the Times that he is concerned about his father's well-being.
"He's a good man. He's loved by his family," the son said.
Initially, Paylan concealed the removal of Demerol from her clinic, the office manager told police. But in recent months she was blatant, he said, according to the affidavit.
The former office manager also told police he once saw Paylan and her boyfriend inject Demerol at their house, the affidavit states. He said Paylan has ordered 300 vials of the substance so far this year — more than the clinic needed.
When questioned by police, Paylan stated she had been prescribing and administering Demerol to her boyfriend for a medical condition for at least three months, records state.
A pharmacy receipt for Demerol recovered by police from the couple's trash was written under the name of a female patient, according to the search warrant.
It's legal for Paylan to prescribe medications to friends and family members, according the Florida Department of Health, but the same standards apply as with any patient: A doctor must complete a physical and gather the patient's medical history.
Doctors are not allowed to prescribe controlled substances to themselves.
Paylan is licensed to practice medicine in the state of Florida. State officials have the option of suspending a physician's license if they believe the doctor poses an immediate danger to the public, said a Department of Health spokeswoman.
Paylan graduated in 1994 from the University of Southern California. She was dismissed from her residency program at the University of California at Irvine a few years later, according to court records.
She filed a lawsuit complaining that she had been dismissed for alleging sexual harassment, but a judge removed several of the defendants from the suit and later found against her, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.
In 1998, a judge also ruled that the lawsuit was baseless and ordered Paylan — who then went by another last name — to pay about $1.1 million in legal fees.
The judgment followed her to New York, where she worked at another residency program, and then to Florida, where in 2003 she declared bankruptcy.
That year, she applied for a medical license in California but was denied, according to the Medical Board of California. No reason was stated.
However, she had already received a license in Florida two years earlier, in 2001, the same year she started a University of South Florida critical care surgery fellowship at Tampa General Hospital.
She opened her Tampa clinic in 2004, calling it the Institute of Cosmoplastic Surgery. In 2008, she opened an all-organic spa in her office.
Have you or a loved one been arrested for a criminal charge or drug trafficking? Then contact the Tampa Bay criminal defense attorneys of Blake & Dorsten, P.A. for a free consultation!
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced St. Petersburg criminal defense lawyers please contact BLAKE & DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the lawyers your questions at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com. We are located at 4707 140th Ave N, Suite 104 in Clearwater, across from the criminal courthouse in the airport business center, minutes from Tampa and St. Petersburg.
While we have talked about doctors and "pill mills" before and again, here is a doctor in Tampa who is in trouble for using patient's names to get Demerol for herself and her boyfriend...
TAMPA — She was licensed to perform cosmetic surgery and had access to pain medicines at her Tampa clinic. But police are investigating allegations that Dr. Christina Paylan used patient names to get Demerol for herself.
She injected it with her boyfriend in the $510,000 home they share near Bayshore Boulevard, police allege in court records. Detectives found empty Demerol packages in a trash can at the curb and in the bathroom.
This month, Tampa police arrested Paylan, 43, and her boyfriend,55, accusing them of illegally possessing Demerol, an addictive narcotic similar to morphine in strength. Paylan was also charged with trafficking hydrocodone and possessing Valium and Xanax.
An office manager estimated that one patient who came to the clinic for massages and Demerol injections had spent $100,000 on Demerol, a search warrant affidavit states.
The employee told a local newspaper that Paylan fired him June 11, the day she was released on $54,250 bond.
The police investigation started in October, shortly after a "concerned family member" of her boyfriend hired a private investigator, the affidavit states.
The investigator searched a trash bin at the end of the couple's driveway at 3110 W Harbor View Ave. in Tampa's Bayshore Beautiful neighborhood. Twice, he found empty boxes of Demerol, bloody bandages and used syringes, the affidavit states. Police found the same type of trash when they searched later that month.
Paylan, the director of Cosmetic Surgery of Tampa Bay at 3230 W Kennedy Blvd., declined to comment, citing her attorney's advice.
Her Criminal Defense attorney wrote in an e-mail that Paylan denies every allegation and "knows she will be exonerated at the conclusion of the process."
The suspect's boyfriend did not respond to messages left on his phone or at his house. In jail records, he listed his occupation as CEO of Proper Power & Energy. The firm's website describes it as an exploration and production company for oil and gas.
His son has cooperated with police and told the Times that he is concerned about his father's well-being.
"He's a good man. He's loved by his family," the son said.
Initially, Paylan concealed the removal of Demerol from her clinic, the office manager told police. But in recent months she was blatant, he said, according to the affidavit.
The former office manager also told police he once saw Paylan and her boyfriend inject Demerol at their house, the affidavit states. He said Paylan has ordered 300 vials of the substance so far this year — more than the clinic needed.
When questioned by police, Paylan stated she had been prescribing and administering Demerol to her boyfriend for a medical condition for at least three months, records state.
A pharmacy receipt for Demerol recovered by police from the couple's trash was written under the name of a female patient, according to the search warrant.
It's legal for Paylan to prescribe medications to friends and family members, according the Florida Department of Health, but the same standards apply as with any patient: A doctor must complete a physical and gather the patient's medical history.
Doctors are not allowed to prescribe controlled substances to themselves.
Paylan is licensed to practice medicine in the state of Florida. State officials have the option of suspending a physician's license if they believe the doctor poses an immediate danger to the public, said a Department of Health spokeswoman.
Paylan graduated in 1994 from the University of Southern California. She was dismissed from her residency program at the University of California at Irvine a few years later, according to court records.
She filed a lawsuit complaining that she had been dismissed for alleging sexual harassment, but a judge removed several of the defendants from the suit and later found against her, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.
In 1998, a judge also ruled that the lawsuit was baseless and ordered Paylan — who then went by another last name — to pay about $1.1 million in legal fees.
The judgment followed her to New York, where she worked at another residency program, and then to Florida, where in 2003 she declared bankruptcy.
That year, she applied for a medical license in California but was denied, according to the Medical Board of California. No reason was stated.
However, she had already received a license in Florida two years earlier, in 2001, the same year she started a University of South Florida critical care surgery fellowship at Tampa General Hospital.
She opened her Tampa clinic in 2004, calling it the Institute of Cosmoplastic Surgery. In 2008, she opened an all-organic spa in her office.
Have you or a loved one been arrested for a criminal charge or drug trafficking? Then contact the Tampa Bay criminal defense attorneys of Blake & Dorsten, P.A. for a free consultation!
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced St. Petersburg criminal defense lawyers please contact BLAKE & DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the lawyers your questions at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com. We are located at 4707 140th Ave N, Suite 104 in Clearwater, across from the criminal courthouse in the airport business center, minutes from Tampa and St. Petersburg.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Lawyer - Pinellas Park Prescription Fraud
By Nick Dorsten, Esq.
First they came for the doctor...now they got the office manager (from the times website).
PINELLAS PARK — The former office manager at a doctor's office that authorities say was operating as a pill mill was arrested on multiple charges Monday.
The office manager, 31, of Tampa was arrested on charges of racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering and conspiracy to traffic oxycodone.
She worked as an office manager at the Pinellas Park clinic of a doctor, who was arrested April 28 on similar charges, Pinellas sheriff's officials said. The doctor was accused of running a pill mill out of her Pinellas Park office and an office in Lee County.
The United States Marshal's Service Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested her in Hillsborough County on Monday at the request of Pinellas sheriff's officials. He was being held at the Hillsborough County Jail on Monday night in lieu of $75,000 bail.
Pinellas investigators said the doctor, 41, scheduled five patients every 15 minutes, commonly seeing more than 60 a day, some by webcam. Her Pinellas Park office was on Park Blvd.
She was released from the Pinellas County Jail on Friday after she posted $160,000 bail.
Have you or someone you loved been arrested for a prescription drug or a theft charge? Then contact the law offices of Blake & Dorsten, P.A. to speak with an experienced Pinellas criminal defense lawyer now!
Our office is located at 4707 140th ave. N, Suite 107, Clearwater, FL 33762, across from the criminal courthouse and minutes from Tampa and St. Petersburg. You can contact your St. Petersburg criminal defense attorney by phone at 727.286.6141 or online at info@BlakeDorstenLaw.com.
First they came for the doctor...now they got the office manager (from the times website).
PINELLAS PARK — The former office manager at a doctor's office that authorities say was operating as a pill mill was arrested on multiple charges Monday.
The office manager, 31, of Tampa was arrested on charges of racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering and conspiracy to traffic oxycodone.
She worked as an office manager at the Pinellas Park clinic of a doctor, who was arrested April 28 on similar charges, Pinellas sheriff's officials said. The doctor was accused of running a pill mill out of her Pinellas Park office and an office in Lee County.
The United States Marshal's Service Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested her in Hillsborough County on Monday at the request of Pinellas sheriff's officials. He was being held at the Hillsborough County Jail on Monday night in lieu of $75,000 bail.
Pinellas investigators said the doctor, 41, scheduled five patients every 15 minutes, commonly seeing more than 60 a day, some by webcam. Her Pinellas Park office was on Park Blvd.
She was released from the Pinellas County Jail on Friday after she posted $160,000 bail.
Have you or someone you loved been arrested for a prescription drug or a theft charge? Then contact the law offices of Blake & Dorsten, P.A. to speak with an experienced Pinellas criminal defense lawyer now!
Our office is located at 4707 140th ave. N, Suite 107, Clearwater, FL 33762, across from the criminal courthouse and minutes from Tampa and St. Petersburg. You can contact your St. Petersburg criminal defense attorney by phone at 727.286.6141 or online at info@BlakeDorstenLaw.com.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Lawyer - Fake prescriptions called in by Nurse
By Nicholas Dorsten, Esq.
From the Tampabay.com website, yet another casualty in the ongoing prescription drug epidemic...
PINELLAS PARK — A nurse who used her position to file bogus pill prescriptions was arrested Wednesday, Pinellas sheriff's deputies said.
The female nurse, who lives in St. Petersburg, was arrested on eight counts of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud and seven counts of trafficking in hydrocodone, deputies said.
The investigation began March 24 when deputies received a tip that the lady, whose state nurse's license identifies her as a practicing nurs was regularly using a previous employer's name to order hydrocodone and Soma, deputies said.
She was being held Wednesday night at the Pinellas County Jail in lieu of $51,000 bail.
This shows that anyone can be affected by prescription pills. Drugs like zanax or oxycodone are so very dangerous as not only are they extremely addictive but it does not take many pills in your possession before the state can charge you with drug trafficking. With that, you are looking at mandatory prison time, large fines and a whole host of problems!
Have you been arrested on prescription pill or trafficking in oxycodone charges? Then the Pinellas, Florida based Blake & Dorsten, P.A. Pinellas criminal defense lawyers are at your service.
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced Pinellas County criminal defense attorneys, please contact the law firm of BLAKE AND DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141or email the defense lawyers at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com
From the Tampabay.com website, yet another casualty in the ongoing prescription drug epidemic...
PINELLAS PARK — A nurse who used her position to file bogus pill prescriptions was arrested Wednesday, Pinellas sheriff's deputies said.
The female nurse, who lives in St. Petersburg, was arrested on eight counts of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud and seven counts of trafficking in hydrocodone, deputies said.
The investigation began March 24 when deputies received a tip that the lady, whose state nurse's license identifies her as a practicing nurs was regularly using a previous employer's name to order hydrocodone and Soma, deputies said.
She was being held Wednesday night at the Pinellas County Jail in lieu of $51,000 bail.
This shows that anyone can be affected by prescription pills. Drugs like zanax or oxycodone are so very dangerous as not only are they extremely addictive but it does not take many pills in your possession before the state can charge you with drug trafficking. With that, you are looking at mandatory prison time, large fines and a whole host of problems!
Have you been arrested on prescription pill or trafficking in oxycodone charges? Then the Pinellas, Florida based Blake & Dorsten, P.A. Pinellas criminal defense lawyers are at your service.
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced Pinellas County criminal defense attorneys, please contact the law firm of BLAKE AND DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141or email the defense lawyers at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Lawyer - drug sting
By Nick Dorsten, Esq.
From the St. Pete Times website, another police drug sting got more arrests...
CLEARWATER — Police arrested four people during the execution of a search warrant Wednesday evening after an undercover investigation revealed drugs were being sold from a Clearwater home, authorities said.
According to arrest reports, two of the people had previously sold prescription drugs from a home at off of S Highland Avenue. The other two were found with drugs in their possession.
One woman, 29, was charged with trafficking in oxycodone, sale and possession of oxycodone and possession of marijuana. A man, 31, was charged with principal to the sale of oxycodone. Another criminal suspect, 21, was charged with possession of cocaine and another suspect, 28, was charged with possession of marijuana.
According to police, three of them all lived at the Barry Street home. The other's address was listed in Largo.
Clearwater police obtained a search warrant after undercover detectives purchased drugs from a home at least three times over the past month, arrest reports show. The second suspect participated in at least one deal in February when he took the money from the detective and handed it to the third, according to an arrest report.
Police on Wednesday seized $2,618 in cash, 121 oxycodone pills, 100 pieces of crack cocaine and about five ounces of marijuana.
On Thursday afternoon, the first suspect was being held in the Pinellas County Jail in lieu of $145,300 bail. Another was being held on $5,000 bail. Another was released early Thursday morning after posting $5,000 bail. The last one was released on his own recognizance.
Have you been arrested on drug trafficking or marijuana charges? Then the Clearwater, Florida based Blake & Dorsten, P.A. criminal defense lawyers are at your service.
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced Clearwater criminal defense attorneys, please contact the law firm of BLAKE AND DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the defense lawyers at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com
From the St. Pete Times website, another police drug sting got more arrests...
CLEARWATER — Police arrested four people during the execution of a search warrant Wednesday evening after an undercover investigation revealed drugs were being sold from a Clearwater home, authorities said.
According to arrest reports, two of the people had previously sold prescription drugs from a home at off of S Highland Avenue. The other two were found with drugs in their possession.
One woman, 29, was charged with trafficking in oxycodone, sale and possession of oxycodone and possession of marijuana. A man, 31, was charged with principal to the sale of oxycodone. Another criminal suspect, 21, was charged with possession of cocaine and another suspect, 28, was charged with possession of marijuana.
According to police, three of them all lived at the Barry Street home. The other's address was listed in Largo.
Clearwater police obtained a search warrant after undercover detectives purchased drugs from a home at least three times over the past month, arrest reports show. The second suspect participated in at least one deal in February when he took the money from the detective and handed it to the third, according to an arrest report.
Police on Wednesday seized $2,618 in cash, 121 oxycodone pills, 100 pieces of crack cocaine and about five ounces of marijuana.
On Thursday afternoon, the first suspect was being held in the Pinellas County Jail in lieu of $145,300 bail. Another was being held on $5,000 bail. Another was released early Thursday morning after posting $5,000 bail. The last one was released on his own recognizance.
Have you been arrested on drug trafficking or marijuana charges? Then the Clearwater, Florida based Blake & Dorsten, P.A. criminal defense lawyers are at your service.
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced Clearwater criminal defense attorneys, please contact the law firm of BLAKE AND DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the defense lawyers at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com
Friday, March 11, 2011
Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Lawyer - Doctor Shopping
By Nicholas Dorsten, Esq.
Per the tampabay.com article, proof that prescription drug arrests can happen anywhere, anytime...
PINELLAS — Citizen tips have twice led to the arrest of a Belleair Bluffs woman on charges that she doctor shopped and sold painkillers, Pinellas sheriff's deputies said.
Deputies said they received multiple complaints of excessive foot traffic and suspected drug activity outside the home of the suspect, 42, of Pinellas.
The sheriff's narcotics strategic diversion task force began to investigate and on Jan. 14 they arrested her on seven counts of doctor shopping, three counts of trafficking in oxycodone, and six counts of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud, deputies said.
On Feb. 8, according to detectives, the accused was released from jail and placed under supervision.
On Wednesday, detectives received another tip that the lady was again using the same doctor's information, this time to obtain the anti-anxiety drug Xanax. After surveillance, they arrested her on one count of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud.
She was released from the Pinellas County Jail after posting $5,000 bail Wednesday night.
Deputies said the case highlights the importance of citizen complaints.
Have you been arrested on drug trafficking or doctor shopping charges? Then the Pinellas, Florida based Blake & Dorsten, P.A. Pinellas criminal defense lawyers are at your service.
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced Clearwater criminal defense attorneys, please contact the law firm of BLAKE AND DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the defense lawyers at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com
Per the tampabay.com article, proof that prescription drug arrests can happen anywhere, anytime...
PINELLAS — Citizen tips have twice led to the arrest of a Belleair Bluffs woman on charges that she doctor shopped and sold painkillers, Pinellas sheriff's deputies said.
Deputies said they received multiple complaints of excessive foot traffic and suspected drug activity outside the home of the suspect, 42, of Pinellas.
The sheriff's narcotics strategic diversion task force began to investigate and on Jan. 14 they arrested her on seven counts of doctor shopping, three counts of trafficking in oxycodone, and six counts of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud, deputies said.
On Feb. 8, according to detectives, the accused was released from jail and placed under supervision.
On Wednesday, detectives received another tip that the lady was again using the same doctor's information, this time to obtain the anti-anxiety drug Xanax. After surveillance, they arrested her on one count of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud.
She was released from the Pinellas County Jail after posting $5,000 bail Wednesday night.
Deputies said the case highlights the importance of citizen complaints.
Have you been arrested on drug trafficking or doctor shopping charges? Then the Pinellas, Florida based Blake & Dorsten, P.A. Pinellas criminal defense lawyers are at your service.
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced Clearwater criminal defense attorneys, please contact the law firm of BLAKE AND DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the defense lawyers at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com
Friday, March 4, 2011
Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Lawyer - more drugs
By Nick Dorsten, Esq.
From the St. Petersburg Times website...
CLEARWATER — A teenager previously convicted on drug charges was arrested Wednesday night after he fled a traffic stop and police found drugs and a loaded handgun, authorities said.
The teen, 19, of 1716 W Manor Ave., was charged with armed drug trafficking, being a felon in possession of a firearm, carrying a concealed weapon, possession of cocaine and marijuana, driving with a suspended license and resisting arrest without violence.
Clearwater police were working a traffic enforcement detail near Calumet Street and North Hercules Avenue around 8 p.m. when they stopped the teen for having window tint that was too dark.
He then ran from his 1990 Pontiac but was tracked by police dogs in the back yard of a home in the 2100 block of Calumet Street, police said. He threw the drugs out as he ran, police said.
Police found a loaded 9mm gun on the front seat of the car, according to a news release. They seized the car, 11.6 grams of Ecstasy, 5 grams of crack cocaine and some marijuana.
The teen was convicted of cocaine and marijuana possession last May.
On Thursday afternoon, he was being held at the Pinellas County Jail.
Have you been arrested on marijuana or drug charges? Then the Clearwater, Florida based Blake & Dorsten, P.A. criminal defense lawyers are at your service.
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced Clearwater criminal defense attorneys, please contact the law firm of BLAKE AND DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the defense lawyers at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com
From the St. Petersburg Times website...
CLEARWATER — A teenager previously convicted on drug charges was arrested Wednesday night after he fled a traffic stop and police found drugs and a loaded handgun, authorities said.
The teen, 19, of 1716 W Manor Ave., was charged with armed drug trafficking, being a felon in possession of a firearm, carrying a concealed weapon, possession of cocaine and marijuana, driving with a suspended license and resisting arrest without violence.
Clearwater police were working a traffic enforcement detail near Calumet Street and North Hercules Avenue around 8 p.m. when they stopped the teen for having window tint that was too dark.
He then ran from his 1990 Pontiac but was tracked by police dogs in the back yard of a home in the 2100 block of Calumet Street, police said. He threw the drugs out as he ran, police said.
Police found a loaded 9mm gun on the front seat of the car, according to a news release. They seized the car, 11.6 grams of Ecstasy, 5 grams of crack cocaine and some marijuana.
The teen was convicted of cocaine and marijuana possession last May.
On Thursday afternoon, he was being held at the Pinellas County Jail.
Have you been arrested on marijuana or drug charges? Then the Clearwater, Florida based Blake & Dorsten, P.A. criminal defense lawyers are at your service.
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced Clearwater criminal defense attorneys, please contact the law firm of BLAKE AND DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the defense lawyers at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com
Friday, February 25, 2011
Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Lawyer - doctor bust
By Nick Dorsten, Esq.
Nobody is immune to the scourge of drugs, as this article from the St. Pete Times website shows...
TAMPA — An emergency room doctor is facing charges that he tried to smuggle drugs onto a plane headed to Salt Lake City last week, authorities said.
Police at Tampa International Airport arrested the doctor, 51, of St. Pete Beach on Feb. 4 on charges of heroin possession with intent to sell, trafficking in illegal drugs, possessing a controlled substance and possessing drug paraphernalia.
On that morning, Transportation Security Administration screeners noticed the doctor "acting extremely anxious and nervous," according to an incident report.
A search of his carry-on bag revealed a small, white container with various pills, later identified as 37 10-mg doses of methadone and three 2-mg doses of Xanax.
He then told screeners he was a doctor at Palms of Pasadena Hospital in St. Petersburg, the report said. He told police he took two Vicodin before coming to the airport, and had methadone and other pain pills in his bag that belonged to his wife. "He admitted he did not have a prescription for any of the medication found in his bag," a detective wrote in the report.
Officials took him into custody and found more drugs and paraphernalia on him: a small bag containing 34 individual packets of heroin in his right front pants pocket and 12 syringes in a pair of snow boots in his checked luggage.
He was booked into a Hillsborough County jail. Records show he was released on a surety bond Monday night.
According to a newspaper wedding announcement, he has been a doctor at Palms of Pasadena since at least 1999. Officials there could not be reached for comment Thursday. His medical license is currently clear and active, according to the Florida Department of Health's website.
The "good" doctor faced other drug charges eight years ago. Records show Tampa police arrested him on charges of possessing heroin and drug equipment and driving under the influence in February 2003. He was not prosecuted.
In 2006, the state Board of Medicine formally disciplined him after ruling he had overprescribed pain pills for a 26-year-old woman with whom he was romantically involved. According to an administrative complaint, the woman sustained a neck injury in 1998. She re-injured her neck in 2004 and was treated by the doctor. Over the next several months, the complaint said, he prescribed increasing dosages of OxyContin, a drug noted for its high potential of abuse. He did not, however, physically examine the woman, order diagnostic or lab tests, diagnose a medical condition or keep a medical record to justify his course of treatment, the complaint said.
Have you or a loved one been arrested for a possession of controlled substance or drug trafficking? Then contact the St. Petersburg criminal defense attorneys of Blake & Dorsten, P.A. for a free consultation!
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced St. Petersburg criminal defense lawyers please contact BLAKE & DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the lawyers your questions at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com. We are located at 4707 140th Ave N, Suite 104 in Clearwater, across from the criminal courthouse in the airport business center, minutes from Tampa and St. Petersburg.
Nobody is immune to the scourge of drugs, as this article from the St. Pete Times website shows...
TAMPA — An emergency room doctor is facing charges that he tried to smuggle drugs onto a plane headed to Salt Lake City last week, authorities said.
Police at Tampa International Airport arrested the doctor, 51, of St. Pete Beach on Feb. 4 on charges of heroin possession with intent to sell, trafficking in illegal drugs, possessing a controlled substance and possessing drug paraphernalia.
On that morning, Transportation Security Administration screeners noticed the doctor "acting extremely anxious and nervous," according to an incident report.
A search of his carry-on bag revealed a small, white container with various pills, later identified as 37 10-mg doses of methadone and three 2-mg doses of Xanax.
He then told screeners he was a doctor at Palms of Pasadena Hospital in St. Petersburg, the report said. He told police he took two Vicodin before coming to the airport, and had methadone and other pain pills in his bag that belonged to his wife. "He admitted he did not have a prescription for any of the medication found in his bag," a detective wrote in the report.
Officials took him into custody and found more drugs and paraphernalia on him: a small bag containing 34 individual packets of heroin in his right front pants pocket and 12 syringes in a pair of snow boots in his checked luggage.
He was booked into a Hillsborough County jail. Records show he was released on a surety bond Monday night.
According to a newspaper wedding announcement, he has been a doctor at Palms of Pasadena since at least 1999. Officials there could not be reached for comment Thursday. His medical license is currently clear and active, according to the Florida Department of Health's website.
The "good" doctor faced other drug charges eight years ago. Records show Tampa police arrested him on charges of possessing heroin and drug equipment and driving under the influence in February 2003. He was not prosecuted.
In 2006, the state Board of Medicine formally disciplined him after ruling he had overprescribed pain pills for a 26-year-old woman with whom he was romantically involved. According to an administrative complaint, the woman sustained a neck injury in 1998. She re-injured her neck in 2004 and was treated by the doctor. Over the next several months, the complaint said, he prescribed increasing dosages of OxyContin, a drug noted for its high potential of abuse. He did not, however, physically examine the woman, order diagnostic or lab tests, diagnose a medical condition or keep a medical record to justify his course of treatment, the complaint said.
Have you or a loved one been arrested for a possession of controlled substance or drug trafficking? Then contact the St. Petersburg criminal defense attorneys of Blake & Dorsten, P.A. for a free consultation!
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced St. Petersburg criminal defense lawyers please contact BLAKE & DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the lawyers your questions at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com. We are located at 4707 140th Ave N, Suite 104 in Clearwater, across from the criminal courthouse in the airport business center, minutes from Tampa and St. Petersburg.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Lawyer - celebrity drug bust 2
By Nick Dorsten, Esq.
Having previously written about the grammy-winning Buju Banton and his legal troubles here before, it is only fitting to give the finale of what happened to him, article from the Times website.
TAMPA — Reggae star Buju Banton won a Grammy a week ago for an album whose prophetic anthem is a song in which Banton proclaims he is wrongly convicted though God knows he is innocent.
But on Tuesday a jury appeared to follow the advice of prosecutors who told them to forget the No. 1 reggae hits, nine popular albums and the testimony by reggae legend Bob Marley's son.
If God knows Banton is innocent, jurors begged to differ.
The federal court jury found Banton guilty of drug conspiracy charges after about 11 hours of deliberations, a verdict that may end the career of a man who rose from the slums of Jamaica to fame as one of the world's top reggae artists.
A U.S. District Court Judge ordered Banton jailed immediately. Banton, 37, faces 15 years to life in prison when the Judge sentences him later this year. His attorneys said they will appeal.
Banton smiled wistfully and put a reassuring arm around the shoulders of his attorneys sitting on either side of him as the verdict was read by a court clerk.
As marshals surrounded Banton, a supporter called out, "They did wrong by you!"
Banton blew kisses, and told them, "Send my love, okay?"
His legal team followed him to a cell, where they said they found Banton seemingly at peace.
"We are all very upset and emotional," the criminal defense attorney said. "The only person who seems to be okay is Buju."
In a statement from his cell, Banton told supporters, "Our life is sometimes predestined."
Outside the courthouse, Banton's friends and supporters gathered in tight circles, cell phones unfolded as news of the verdict was relayed to the Caribbean.
"I believe in my heart what God told me, and God told me not guilty," said Carol Taylor, a native of Jamaica who lives in Tampa.
Of the drug charges, she said, "We know that's not Buju."
Jurors found Banton guilty of three charges after the week-long trial: conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, and using a telephone to commit a drug offense.
Jurors found him innocent of attempted possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
This was Banton's second trial. A jury deadlocked at his first in September, causing a mistrial.
The singer's retrial opened Feb. 14, a day after he won a Grammy for best reggae album. Banton recorded the album, Before the Dawn, prior to his December 2009 arrest, though he worked on post-production from a jail phone.
Banton's troubles began on a flight from Spain to the United States in 2009. Banton had the ill fortune to sit next to a confidential informant who has earned $3.3 million in the last 14 years working for federal agents.
The men began drinking and talking so loudly that flight attendants told them to keep it down.
Prosecutors said Banton, a Miami resident whose given name is Mark Myrie, boasted to the snitch that he was involved in a cocaine ring. They said he talked about wanting to set up a drug deal together.
They presented audio tapes and videos of Banton they say proved his culpability in setting up the purchase of 11 pounds of cocaine for $135,000.
In one video, Banton could be seen tasting cocaine at a Sarasota warehouse on Dec. 8, 2009. But days later, he was not present as the deal was finalized, though prosecutors said he knew it was going down.
"This is not about Buju Banton, the reggae singer," the prosecutor told jurors last week. "This is about Mark Myrie, the drug defendant."
But Banton's Grammy nonetheless hung over the courtroom as defense attorneys portrayed Banton as an artist who would not endanger his career for a modest cocaine score.
Banton testified that he was just a boastful talker trying to impress the informant because the man said he could help Banton's music career.
He said he never intended to buy the drugs and had ignored the informant's persistent calls.
"I'm very ashamed of myself," Banton told jurors last week. "I know it sounds bad. But I was not part of any drug deal."
Banton said, "He did everything he could to lure me in."
Have you or a loved one been arrested for a drug charge, drug trafficking or violent crime? Then contact the Clearwater criminal defense attorneys of Blake & Dorsten, P.A. for a free consultation!
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced Clearwater criminal defense lawyers please contact BLAKE & DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the lawyers your questions at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com. We are located at 4707 140th Ave N, Suite 104 in Clearwater, across from the criminal courthouse in the airport business center, minutes from Tampa and St. Petersburg.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Lawyer - marijuana bust
By Nicholas Dorsten, Esq.
Another marijuana bust, article from the St. Pete Times website...
ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA — Police have arrested three men on charges of possession of more than 9 pounds of marijuana.
The three men, 29,31, and 30, are accused of possessing marijuana with intent to distribute.
Police said they watched the men leave one of the men's home, located in St. Petersburg, in a 2000 Chevy Impala and a rented 2011 Ford Fusion. At about 2 p.m., the men were arrested during traffic stops at 16th Street and 21st Avenue S in St. Petersburg and at 7348 U.S. 19 N in Pinellas Park.
In the Ford Fusion, police found a backpack with seven of nine gallon-size zip-close bags holding marijuana. The rest of the marijuana was in the Impala with the other man.
The street value of the marijuana found in the cars is $10,000, police said. Police also seized $4,488 in cash, which they may try to show as evidence that the men were possessing marijuana with the intent to sell.
Have you or a loved one been arrested for a marijuana charge or drug trafficking? Then contact the St. Petersburg criminal defense attorneys of Blake & Dorsten, P.A. for a free consultation!
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced St. Petersburg criminal defense lawyers please contact BLAKE & DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the lawyers your questions at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com. We are located at 4707 140th Ave N, Suite 104 in Clearwater, across from the criminal courthouse in the airport business center, minutes from Tampa and St. Petersburg.
Another marijuana bust, article from the St. Pete Times website...
ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA — Police have arrested three men on charges of possession of more than 9 pounds of marijuana.
The three men, 29,31, and 30, are accused of possessing marijuana with intent to distribute.
Police said they watched the men leave one of the men's home, located in St. Petersburg, in a 2000 Chevy Impala and a rented 2011 Ford Fusion. At about 2 p.m., the men were arrested during traffic stops at 16th Street and 21st Avenue S in St. Petersburg and at 7348 U.S. 19 N in Pinellas Park.
In the Ford Fusion, police found a backpack with seven of nine gallon-size zip-close bags holding marijuana. The rest of the marijuana was in the Impala with the other man.
The street value of the marijuana found in the cars is $10,000, police said. Police also seized $4,488 in cash, which they may try to show as evidence that the men were possessing marijuana with the intent to sell.
Have you or a loved one been arrested for a marijuana charge or drug trafficking? Then contact the St. Petersburg criminal defense attorneys of Blake & Dorsten, P.A. for a free consultation!
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced St. Petersburg criminal defense lawyers please contact BLAKE & DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the lawyers your questions at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com. We are located at 4707 140th Ave N, Suite 104 in Clearwater, across from the criminal courthouse in the airport business center, minutes from Tampa and St. Petersburg.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Lawyer - drugs
By Nicholas Dorsten, Esq.
Another day, another article on prescription drugs and the potential for abuse (see here for more). This article courtesy of the St. Pete Times...
ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA — While working with federal investigators Tuesday afternoon, Pinellas County sheriff's deputies arrested two Tennessee residents on charges of trafficking in oxycodone, authorities said.
Narcotics detectives with the Sheriff's Office were assisting the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Internal Revenue Service in an investigation at a home in St. Petersburg when they found a man and woman with at least 0.98 ounces of the prescription pain killer oxycodone, said a Sheriff's Office Sgt.
Arrested were Kevin Bussell, 35, of Tazewell, Tenn., and Amanda Bible, 25, of Harrogate, Tenn.
Bussell and Bible were found at the home at 6065 38th Ave. N at 1 p.m.
According to property appraiser records, the two don't own the home, which has a market value of $125,000.
The Sheriff's Office declined to release any other information.
A spokeswoman for IRS criminal investigations out of the Nashville field office, confirmed the agency was working with the Drug Enforcement Administration and local authorities but said she could not comment on the ongoing investigation."
Many people don't realize that a charge like trafficking in prescription drugs or possession of oxycodone carries the same punishment as a posession of cocaine or trafficking in heroin charge! In the state of Florida, the law does not distinguish between prescription and non-prescription "recreational" drugs.
Have you or a loved one been arrested for a drug charge or drug trafficking? Then contact the Clearwater criminal defense attorneys of Blake & Dorsten, P.A. for a free consultation!
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced St. Petersburg criminal defense lawyers, please contact BLAKE & DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the lawyers your questions at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com. We are located at 4707 140th Ave N, Suite 104 in Clearwater, across from the criminal courthouse in the airport business center, minutes from Tampa and St. Petersburg.
Another day, another article on prescription drugs and the potential for abuse (see here for more). This article courtesy of the St. Pete Times...
ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA — While working with federal investigators Tuesday afternoon, Pinellas County sheriff's deputies arrested two Tennessee residents on charges of trafficking in oxycodone, authorities said.
Narcotics detectives with the Sheriff's Office were assisting the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Internal Revenue Service in an investigation at a home in St. Petersburg when they found a man and woman with at least 0.98 ounces of the prescription pain killer oxycodone, said a Sheriff's Office Sgt.
Arrested were Kevin Bussell, 35, of Tazewell, Tenn., and Amanda Bible, 25, of Harrogate, Tenn.
Bussell and Bible were found at the home at 6065 38th Ave. N at 1 p.m.
According to property appraiser records, the two don't own the home, which has a market value of $125,000.
The Sheriff's Office declined to release any other information.
A spokeswoman for IRS criminal investigations out of the Nashville field office, confirmed the agency was working with the Drug Enforcement Administration and local authorities but said she could not comment on the ongoing investigation."
Many people don't realize that a charge like trafficking in prescription drugs or possession of oxycodone carries the same punishment as a posession of cocaine or trafficking in heroin charge! In the state of Florida, the law does not distinguish between prescription and non-prescription "recreational" drugs.
Have you or a loved one been arrested for a drug charge or drug trafficking? Then contact the Clearwater criminal defense attorneys of Blake & Dorsten, P.A. for a free consultation!
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced St. Petersburg criminal defense lawyers, please contact BLAKE & DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the lawyers your questions at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com. We are located at 4707 140th Ave N, Suite 104 in Clearwater, across from the criminal courthouse in the airport business center, minutes from Tampa and St. Petersburg.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Lawyer - kids and drugs
By Nicholas Dorsten, Esq.
While this blog has written much about drugs or drug trafficking before, an old article I found on the st. Petersburg times archives show just how desperate some people can be when it comes to addiction or illegal drugs...
HILLSBOROUGH - A special education teacher at East Bay High School has been accused of cocaine trafficking, according to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.
The defendant, a then 33 year old female, faces charges of trafficking in cocaine, from 28 to 200 grams, according to an arrest report.
The accused, who has worked at the Apollo Beach school for six years, turned herself into the Hillsborough County jail at 10 a.m. Friday, said a sheriff's spokesman.
On Wednesday, the DEA and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office served a federal search warrant at the accused's home, seizing about 4.5 ounces of cocaine. Investigators found 112 grams of cocaine upstairs on a television stand, and 7 more grams of illegal drugs stuffed inside a dresser, the spokesman said. An ounce of cocaine in Tampa sold for $600 to $900 back in 2006.
The next day, authorities arrested another man and accused him of trying to deliver cocaine to the defendant.
The two-month investigation into the teacher's drug activity started with a tip to law enforcement, according to DEA special agent Jeannette Moran.
Moran declined to comment further about the investigation.
The accused was released from jail Friday after posting $10,000 bail, according to an arrest report.
No one answered the door at her home in Osprey Run, a gated community along Bloomingdale Avenue in Riverview.
Hillsborough school officials sent a letter to her in jail informing her that she was not to report to work until further notice. She will continue to be paid wages to which she is entitled.
She had resigned as a summer school teacher on Wednesday, according to Hillsborough schools spokesman Stephen Hegarty. As the case evolves, officials will consider whether to suspend Dotter or take further action.
"She's not going to be in the classroom while these charges are over her head," Hegarty said, noting that Dotter's principal said she was a good teacher.
Dotter has taught students with learning disabilities at East Bay High since the 2000-01 school year. Before coming to Hillsborough, she was a teacher at Clearview Avenue Elementary in St. Petersburg.
She graduated from Gibbs High School in St. Petersburg in 1991 and attended St. Petersburg Junior College before earning a degree at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, according to her Hillsborough schools file.
While not everyone knows this, the punishment for trafficking in cocaine differs greatly depending how much cocaine is in a person's possession. In addition, while there is a minimum/mandatory sentence that differs depending on the amount of the drug, in many cases, an experienced criminal defense lawyer may be able to help avoid or minimize the sentence!
Have you or a loved one been arrested for a drug charge or drug trafficking? Then contact the Clearwater criminal defense attorneys of Blake & Dorsten, P.A. for a free consultation today.
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced Clearwater criminal defense lawyers please contact BLAKE & DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the lawyers your questions at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com. We are located at 4707 140th Ave N, Suite 104 in Clearwater, across from the criminal courthouse in the airport business center, minutes from Tampa and St. Petersburg.
While this blog has written much about drugs or drug trafficking before, an old article I found on the st. Petersburg times archives show just how desperate some people can be when it comes to addiction or illegal drugs...
HILLSBOROUGH - A special education teacher at East Bay High School has been accused of cocaine trafficking, according to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.
The defendant, a then 33 year old female, faces charges of trafficking in cocaine, from 28 to 200 grams, according to an arrest report.
The accused, who has worked at the Apollo Beach school for six years, turned herself into the Hillsborough County jail at 10 a.m. Friday, said a sheriff's spokesman.
On Wednesday, the DEA and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office served a federal search warrant at the accused's home, seizing about 4.5 ounces of cocaine. Investigators found 112 grams of cocaine upstairs on a television stand, and 7 more grams of illegal drugs stuffed inside a dresser, the spokesman said. An ounce of cocaine in Tampa sold for $600 to $900 back in 2006.
The next day, authorities arrested another man and accused him of trying to deliver cocaine to the defendant.
The two-month investigation into the teacher's drug activity started with a tip to law enforcement, according to DEA special agent Jeannette Moran.
Moran declined to comment further about the investigation.
The accused was released from jail Friday after posting $10,000 bail, according to an arrest report.
No one answered the door at her home in Osprey Run, a gated community along Bloomingdale Avenue in Riverview.
Hillsborough school officials sent a letter to her in jail informing her that she was not to report to work until further notice. She will continue to be paid wages to which she is entitled.
She had resigned as a summer school teacher on Wednesday, according to Hillsborough schools spokesman Stephen Hegarty. As the case evolves, officials will consider whether to suspend Dotter or take further action.
"She's not going to be in the classroom while these charges are over her head," Hegarty said, noting that Dotter's principal said she was a good teacher.
Dotter has taught students with learning disabilities at East Bay High since the 2000-01 school year. Before coming to Hillsborough, she was a teacher at Clearview Avenue Elementary in St. Petersburg.
She graduated from Gibbs High School in St. Petersburg in 1991 and attended St. Petersburg Junior College before earning a degree at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, according to her Hillsborough schools file.
While not everyone knows this, the punishment for trafficking in cocaine differs greatly depending how much cocaine is in a person's possession. In addition, while there is a minimum/mandatory sentence that differs depending on the amount of the drug, in many cases, an experienced criminal defense lawyer may be able to help avoid or minimize the sentence!
Have you or a loved one been arrested for a drug charge or drug trafficking? Then contact the Clearwater criminal defense attorneys of Blake & Dorsten, P.A. for a free consultation today.
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced Clearwater criminal defense lawyers please contact BLAKE & DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the lawyers your questions at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com. We are located at 4707 140th Ave N, Suite 104 in Clearwater, across from the criminal courthouse in the airport business center, minutes from Tampa and St. Petersburg.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Clearwater Defense Lawyer : Marijuana bust
By Nicholas Dorsten, Esq.
An interesting article from the Bay News 9 website.....
BRANDON --
A man was arrested on Wednesday after he delivered 30 pounds of marijuana to a Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office in a sting operation.
Detectives say the Tampa marijuana trafficker, negotiated with undercover officers to sell them $42,000 worth of drugs after they had been investigating him for about a month.
According to the report, the drug trafficker arrived at the arranged area at 1:15 p.m. with the marijuana and following his sale to the undercover detectives, was arrested.
The defendant was charged with trafficking in cannabis 25 to 2,000 pounds, which is a first-degree felony.
He is currently is being held at the Hillsborough County Jail with no bail set.
In addition to the drug trafficking charge, depending on his circumstances, the defendant could also be charged with possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia or other drug related charges.
Due to the weight of the marijuana, the man is likely to face mandatory prison sentences.
Have you or a loved one been arrested for a drug charge or drug trafficking? Then contact the Clearwater criminal defense attorneys of Blake & Dorsten, P.A. for a free consultation!
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced Clearwater criminal defense lawyers please contact BLAKE & DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the lawyers your questions at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com. We are located at 4707 140th Ave N, Suite 104 in Clearwater, across from the criminal courthouse in the airport business center, minutes from Tampa and St. Petersburg.
An interesting article from the Bay News 9 website.....
BRANDON --
A man was arrested on Wednesday after he delivered 30 pounds of marijuana to a Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office in a sting operation.
Detectives say the Tampa marijuana trafficker, negotiated with undercover officers to sell them $42,000 worth of drugs after they had been investigating him for about a month.
According to the report, the drug trafficker arrived at the arranged area at 1:15 p.m. with the marijuana and following his sale to the undercover detectives, was arrested.
The defendant was charged with trafficking in cannabis 25 to 2,000 pounds, which is a first-degree felony.
He is currently is being held at the Hillsborough County Jail with no bail set.
In addition to the drug trafficking charge, depending on his circumstances, the defendant could also be charged with possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia or other drug related charges.
Due to the weight of the marijuana, the man is likely to face mandatory prison sentences.
Have you or a loved one been arrested for a drug charge or drug trafficking? Then contact the Clearwater criminal defense attorneys of Blake & Dorsten, P.A. for a free consultation!
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced Clearwater criminal defense lawyers please contact BLAKE & DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the lawyers your questions at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com. We are located at 4707 140th Ave N, Suite 104 in Clearwater, across from the criminal courthouse in the airport business center, minutes from Tampa and St. Petersburg.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Clearwater Defense Lawyer : Prescription drug sting arrests
By Nicholas Dorsten, Esq.
A recent article in the St. Pete Times shows how the police are cracking down on prescription drugs. Unlike previous posts discussing marijuana or cocaine these drugs, while legal if you have a prescription, are still highly addictive but not considered in the same category as "bad drugs" by much of the general public.
"CLEARWATER — On a grassy field in Clearwater, in a courtroom in Tampa and under a bridge in Indian Shores, the Tampa Bay community's battle against prescription drug crime abuse is playing out.
One by one Wednesday morning, a stream of suspected drug dealers and abusers were brought to an athletic field populated by police vans, an RV and officers coming and going. The police roundup, part of Operation Pill Popper, produced 38 people who were charged with illegally obtaining or selling oxycodone and carted off to the Pinellas County Jail.
Across the bay in Tampa, in a rare trial of a doctor on Tampa drug trafficking accusations, the physician took the stand to refute testimony from undercover detectives that he never examined them or asked for medical histories before prescribing Vicodin and Xanax.
And in Indian Shores, a suspected drug trafficker was in jail after authorities found him hiding under a bridge. The arrest came after a doctor called authorities to let them know the man was back in town.
The juggernaut of prescription drug abuse, which now kills more people annually in the Tampa Bay area than car accidents, has enlisted an impressive set of combatants, from the U.S. Attorney's Office to local police agencies and elective boards and commissions.
But the battle continues to reveal the insidious depth of the problem and the challenge of overcoming it.
"It's definitely growing," said a Pinellas sheriff's Capt. "I wouldn't be surprised if in the next investigation, we double these latest numbers. It's not an unimaginable thing."
Law enforcement officials and lawmakers alike have highlighted these kinds of cases to argue that Florida needs a prescription monitoring program that would used a centralized computer database to help doctors determine if a patient has been doctor-shopping. State lawmakers have passed a monitoring program law, but several hurdles have delayed the program's launch until next year.
Efforts to crack down on prescription drug abuse have become more prominent recently with high-profile police raids on pain clinics. The state Legislature passed new laws aiming to curb doctor-shopping and crack down on physicians who overprescribe. Law enforcement agencies have been pouring more resources into nabbing painkiller abusers and Tampa Bay drug traffickers.
But statistics increasingly show that the problem has become deeply entrenched in society.
Last year in Florida, 2,488 people fatally overdosed on prescription drugs, with 681 deaths occurring in the Tampa Bay area.
While local law enforcement agencies await tougher legislation on prescription drug monitoring, they have launched their own ground-level attacks.
A Pinellas task force carried out the first Operation Pill Popper in February, focusing on 74 suspects, 150 counts of doctor-shopping and about 55,000 pills with an estimated $750,000 street value.
Wednesday's Operation Pill Popper II targeted 175 people on 375 charges, including Clearwater doctor-shopping, obtaining a controlled substance by fraud and conspiracy to sell and traffic various pain medication, the sheriff's office said. They are suspected of illegally obtaining or selling more than 100,000 oxycodone pills since January.
A multiagency law enforcement task force set up a staging area early Wednesday at a Clearwater field.
Deputies brought suspects to the field, where they were loaded into vans and taken to jail in front of reporters and TV cameras.
"We're trying to bring this effort out into the streets," said the sheriff's captain.
By the end of Wednesday's staged bust, deputies had arrested 38 people, adding to the 52 people arrested from the start of the investigation July 1. The captain said deputies would continue seeking arrests related to the investigation.
Deputies said 68 of the 175 targeted in the investigation have been operating as an organized group that involves using homeless people or addicts to take their own ID cards and fake prescriptions to pharmacies. The recruits then give the pills back to the recruiters for either money or a portion of the pills.
"It's not all about money," the captain said. "It's not all about greed. Some of these people have serious problems and need help."
Law enforcement officials from St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Largo worked with the Tampa office of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration on the case, deputies said.
Wednesday's arrests came as the trial of a doctor accused of prescribing undercover detectives enough addictive medication to be considered drug trafficking is wrapping up. A verdict on the doctor, who runs a Seffner clinic and is still licensed, could come today.
A day earlier, another man was arrested on charges of doctor-shopping and trafficking in oxycodone. Pinellas deputies said the defendant visited three Florida doctors a month, including one in Winter Park, to get thousands of OxyContin and oxycodone pills. Several of the doctors alerted authorities.
On Tuesday morning, an Indian Shores doctor called deputies to tell them the man was back. When deputies arrived, he ran toward a condo complex. After a 45-minute search, he was found hiding under a bridge, deputies said".
Have you or a loved one been arrested for a drug charge or drug trafficking? Then contact the Clearwater criminal defense attorneys of Blake & Dorsten, P.A. for a free consultation!
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced Clearwater criminal defense lawyers please contact BLAKE & DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the lawyers your questions at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com. We are located at 4707 140th Ave N, Suite 104 in Clearwater, across from the criminal courthouse in the airport business center, minutes from Tampa and St. Petersburg.
A recent article in the St. Pete Times shows how the police are cracking down on prescription drugs. Unlike previous posts discussing marijuana or cocaine these drugs, while legal if you have a prescription, are still highly addictive but not considered in the same category as "bad drugs" by much of the general public.
"CLEARWATER — On a grassy field in Clearwater, in a courtroom in Tampa and under a bridge in Indian Shores, the Tampa Bay community's battle against prescription drug crime abuse is playing out.
One by one Wednesday morning, a stream of suspected drug dealers and abusers were brought to an athletic field populated by police vans, an RV and officers coming and going. The police roundup, part of Operation Pill Popper, produced 38 people who were charged with illegally obtaining or selling oxycodone and carted off to the Pinellas County Jail.
Across the bay in Tampa, in a rare trial of a doctor on Tampa drug trafficking accusations, the physician took the stand to refute testimony from undercover detectives that he never examined them or asked for medical histories before prescribing Vicodin and Xanax.
And in Indian Shores, a suspected drug trafficker was in jail after authorities found him hiding under a bridge. The arrest came after a doctor called authorities to let them know the man was back in town.
The juggernaut of prescription drug abuse, which now kills more people annually in the Tampa Bay area than car accidents, has enlisted an impressive set of combatants, from the U.S. Attorney's Office to local police agencies and elective boards and commissions.
But the battle continues to reveal the insidious depth of the problem and the challenge of overcoming it.
"It's definitely growing," said a Pinellas sheriff's Capt. "I wouldn't be surprised if in the next investigation, we double these latest numbers. It's not an unimaginable thing."
Law enforcement officials and lawmakers alike have highlighted these kinds of cases to argue that Florida needs a prescription monitoring program that would used a centralized computer database to help doctors determine if a patient has been doctor-shopping. State lawmakers have passed a monitoring program law, but several hurdles have delayed the program's launch until next year.
Efforts to crack down on prescription drug abuse have become more prominent recently with high-profile police raids on pain clinics. The state Legislature passed new laws aiming to curb doctor-shopping and crack down on physicians who overprescribe. Law enforcement agencies have been pouring more resources into nabbing painkiller abusers and Tampa Bay drug traffickers.
But statistics increasingly show that the problem has become deeply entrenched in society.
Last year in Florida, 2,488 people fatally overdosed on prescription drugs, with 681 deaths occurring in the Tampa Bay area.
While local law enforcement agencies await tougher legislation on prescription drug monitoring, they have launched their own ground-level attacks.
A Pinellas task force carried out the first Operation Pill Popper in February, focusing on 74 suspects, 150 counts of doctor-shopping and about 55,000 pills with an estimated $750,000 street value.
Wednesday's Operation Pill Popper II targeted 175 people on 375 charges, including Clearwater doctor-shopping, obtaining a controlled substance by fraud and conspiracy to sell and traffic various pain medication, the sheriff's office said. They are suspected of illegally obtaining or selling more than 100,000 oxycodone pills since January.
A multiagency law enforcement task force set up a staging area early Wednesday at a Clearwater field.
Deputies brought suspects to the field, where they were loaded into vans and taken to jail in front of reporters and TV cameras.
"We're trying to bring this effort out into the streets," said the sheriff's captain.
By the end of Wednesday's staged bust, deputies had arrested 38 people, adding to the 52 people arrested from the start of the investigation July 1. The captain said deputies would continue seeking arrests related to the investigation.
Deputies said 68 of the 175 targeted in the investigation have been operating as an organized group that involves using homeless people or addicts to take their own ID cards and fake prescriptions to pharmacies. The recruits then give the pills back to the recruiters for either money or a portion of the pills.
"It's not all about money," the captain said. "It's not all about greed. Some of these people have serious problems and need help."
Law enforcement officials from St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Largo worked with the Tampa office of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration on the case, deputies said.
Wednesday's arrests came as the trial of a doctor accused of prescribing undercover detectives enough addictive medication to be considered drug trafficking is wrapping up. A verdict on the doctor, who runs a Seffner clinic and is still licensed, could come today.
A day earlier, another man was arrested on charges of doctor-shopping and trafficking in oxycodone. Pinellas deputies said the defendant visited three Florida doctors a month, including one in Winter Park, to get thousands of OxyContin and oxycodone pills. Several of the doctors alerted authorities.
On Tuesday morning, an Indian Shores doctor called deputies to tell them the man was back. When deputies arrived, he ran toward a condo complex. After a 45-minute search, he was found hiding under a bridge, deputies said".
Have you or a loved one been arrested for a drug charge or drug trafficking? Then contact the Clearwater criminal defense attorneys of Blake & Dorsten, P.A. for a free consultation!
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced Clearwater criminal defense lawyers please contact BLAKE & DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the lawyers your questions at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com. We are located at 4707 140th Ave N, Suite 104 in Clearwater, across from the criminal courthouse in the airport business center, minutes from Tampa and St. Petersburg.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Clearwater Defense Lawyer : Operation "Heatwave" = more drug arrests...
By Nicholas J. Dorsten, Esq.
From Baynews9.com comes late word out of Tarpon Springs TARPON SPRINGS that police officers continued a drug sweep overnight aimed at street-level drug dealing.
Named Operation Heat Wave, the sweep targeted dozens known drug dealers in the Tarpon Springs area. Working with Pinellas County Sheriff's deputies, Tarpon Springs officers began rounding up suspects Thursday afternoon and all through the night.
Officials said at least 11 suspects were taken into custody. Those suspects, called street-level drug dealers, are facing charges of selling and possession of crack cocaine and prescription pills.
Authorities are searching for the remaining suspects.
Tarpon Springs officers made illegal drug purchases for months, both before and during the operation.
During last Thursday's sweep, officials obtained a search warrant for a home on South Grosse Ave., where illegal drugs and weapons were discovered.
This story goes to show that with Florida continuing to crack down on both drug possession and drug trafficking. With this tough "war on drugs" approach our state has been following for the past several decades, more of these kind of drug busts are sure to follow.
As everybody knows, where there is illegal drugs,there is usually guns.
Have you been arrested on weapons or prescription drug charges? Then the Clearwater, Florida based Blake & Dorsten, P.A. criminal defense lawyers are at your service. We offer free consultations combined with reasonable fees and sound legal advice.
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced criminal defense attorneys, please contact the law firm of BLAKE AND DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the defense lawyers at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com
From Baynews9.com comes late word out of Tarpon Springs TARPON SPRINGS that police officers continued a drug sweep overnight aimed at street-level drug dealing.
Named Operation Heat Wave, the sweep targeted dozens known drug dealers in the Tarpon Springs area. Working with Pinellas County Sheriff's deputies, Tarpon Springs officers began rounding up suspects Thursday afternoon and all through the night.
Officials said at least 11 suspects were taken into custody. Those suspects, called street-level drug dealers, are facing charges of selling and possession of crack cocaine and prescription pills.
Authorities are searching for the remaining suspects.
Tarpon Springs officers made illegal drug purchases for months, both before and during the operation.
During last Thursday's sweep, officials obtained a search warrant for a home on South Grosse Ave., where illegal drugs and weapons were discovered.
This story goes to show that with Florida continuing to crack down on both drug possession and drug trafficking. With this tough "war on drugs" approach our state has been following for the past several decades, more of these kind of drug busts are sure to follow.
As everybody knows, where there is illegal drugs,there is usually guns.
Have you been arrested on weapons or prescription drug charges? Then the Clearwater, Florida based Blake & Dorsten, P.A. criminal defense lawyers are at your service. We offer free consultations combined with reasonable fees and sound legal advice.
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced criminal defense attorneys, please contact the law firm of BLAKE AND DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the defense lawyers at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com
Monday, July 26, 2010
Clearwater Defense Lawyer : More drugs = more problems
By Nicholas Dorsten, Esq.
An interesting but all too familiar story in yesterday's St. Petersburg Times...
In CLEARWATER, Police showed up to stop a fight early Sunday. Instead they arrested a man they say was growing marijuana.
The defendant 23, of Clearwater was charged with manufacturing marijuana. He remained in the Pinellas County Jail on this past Monday in lieu of $5,000 bail.
Police said they showed up near in an area of US 19 about 3 a.m. Sunday after a report of a possible fight involving multiple people. While investigating, officers received a tip from an unknown source that there might be pot plants stored in the trailer residence.
Police asked the defendant if they could search his trailer. Police said they found 10 pot plants, 44 grams of pot seeds, 14.2 grams of pot residue and 3.3 grams of hydroponic marijuana. It was not known if the pot plants held enough marijuana to have him charged with drug trafficking. If the defendant IS charged with drug trafficking instead of marijuana possession, he could be facing a mandatory prison sentence. This mandatory sentence severity depends on the amount of illegal drugs in weight/volume that he possessed.
Been arrested on a drug offense? Need experienced criminal defense lawyers? Then call Blake & Dorsten, P.A. for a free initial consultation. We handle all drug offenses including possession of marijuana, possession of cocaine,drug trafficking and many more.
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced criminal defense attorneys, please contact the law firm of BLAKE & DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email your questions: info@blakedorstenlaw.com. We are located across from the 49th street Courthouse in Clearwater, at 4707 140th Ave N, Suite 104, Clearwater, 33762, minutes from St. Petersburg, Fl and Tampa.
An interesting but all too familiar story in yesterday's St. Petersburg Times...
In CLEARWATER, Police showed up to stop a fight early Sunday. Instead they arrested a man they say was growing marijuana.
The defendant 23, of Clearwater was charged with manufacturing marijuana. He remained in the Pinellas County Jail on this past Monday in lieu of $5,000 bail.
Police said they showed up near in an area of US 19 about 3 a.m. Sunday after a report of a possible fight involving multiple people. While investigating, officers received a tip from an unknown source that there might be pot plants stored in the trailer residence.
Police asked the defendant if they could search his trailer. Police said they found 10 pot plants, 44 grams of pot seeds, 14.2 grams of pot residue and 3.3 grams of hydroponic marijuana. It was not known if the pot plants held enough marijuana to have him charged with drug trafficking. If the defendant IS charged with drug trafficking instead of marijuana possession, he could be facing a mandatory prison sentence. This mandatory sentence severity depends on the amount of illegal drugs in weight/volume that he possessed.
Been arrested on a drug offense? Need experienced criminal defense lawyers? Then call Blake & Dorsten, P.A. for a free initial consultation. We handle all drug offenses including possession of marijuana, possession of cocaine,drug trafficking and many more.
For more information, or to speak directly with experienced criminal defense attorneys, please contact the law firm of BLAKE & DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email your questions: info@blakedorstenlaw.com. We are located across from the 49th street Courthouse in Clearwater, at 4707 140th Ave N, Suite 104, Clearwater, 33762, minutes from St. Petersburg, Fl and Tampa.
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