When you think about drug crimes, you probably think of drug rings pulling illegal drugs into the streets from foreign countries. You might imagine hardened gangsters or people with troubled pasts. What you may not have thought about is the number of normal people who sometimes get caught up in drug trafficking allegations. For example, a 57-year-old woman in Wisconsin has been charged with running an opioid ring. This woman is a mother and is accused of running the ring out of her home.
The woman, six others and her son were charged for selling pills and heroin, according to the news. In the criminal complaint, it stated that a 55-year-old man living with her obtained 450 oxycodone tablets monthly from two pain clinics in Milwaukee. He, her son and other runners also purchased them from street dealers, it’s been alleged.
The woman’s son is a heroin addict, the news reports, and the woman was using proceeds from drug sales to help feed his addiction. Informants reported that the woman had been selling drugs for as long as a decade prior to this arrest.
Investigators looking into the case made a number of purchases from the woman. These sales all took place at her home, according to their records. The woman, her 55-year-old helper, her son and several others between the ages of 23 and 46 face charges.
In cases like this, it’s easy for people to be accused when they’re not actually involved in the crime ring. For example, some informants reported that the woman had a common-law husband who didn’t participate in any of the crimes. Regardless of whether a person is guilty or not, it’s important for him or her to obtain a good defense, so he or she can receive fair treatment by the courts.
Source: Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel, “57-year-old Wisconsin mother charged with running major opioid ring from her kitchen,” Bruce Vielmetti, April 03, 2017
