When someone travels to Wisconsin and checks into a hotel, he or she might have any number of things in a suitcase. The front desk clerks do not typically ask to look inside a guest’s luggage. A recent incident at a particular hotel, however, led to police looking inside not one but two suitcases, then claiming they found illegal drugs. The officers say the man in possession of the suitcase could go to prison for life if the court convicts him of drug crimes.
Police say they believe the man in question transported methamphetamine from another state to the Wisconsin hotel. Officers also claim to have seized more than two pounds of fentanyl and a firearm. A 26-year old man was arrested, but police say they believe the situation will lead to further arrests.
When substances are seized during a police investigation, they are usually sent to a laboratory for testing. This is because prosecutors must prove that a substance is, in fact, what they claim it to be if they are using it as evidence in a criminal trial. For instance, just because police find a baggie of white powder during an investigation, this does not necessarily mean the powder is cocaine or some other illegal drug.
There were several other recent arrests that led to charges for drug crimes in Wisconsin, but police are not saying whether the cases are connected to the hotel raid. In any event, each defendant is guaranteed an opportunity to refute the charges against him or her. Most defendants seek legal support from experienced criminal law attorneys rather than try to go it alone in court.
