The increasing price of tuition means that many students look for creative ways to finance their degrees. While some students work a full-time job while attending night classes or take on an extra part-time job to make ends meet, one student's plan to pay for tuition was more creative. But the plan was risky and now he faces jail time for drug trafficking.
Initial investment: a quality chemistry set
According to Stillwater police, an Oklahoma State University student attempted to manufacture and sell ecstasy to fellow students as a way to pay for his school expenses. Police started an investigation after a paranoid man told neighbors that someone was trying to steal his television. He claimed that the intruder had a gun.
When law enforcement officers investigated, they found a gun and bullet holes in the apartment walls, but no signs of a break-in or bodies. The man had taken methamphetamine and the intruder was apparently a hallucination.
The next day, officers returned to the apartment with a search warrant and found crystal meth, ecstasy, and marijuana. They also found a lab that the student was using to manufacture MDMA, including chemicals, high-grade chemistry glass and a hydrogen compression tank.
Charges against the student include possession of a controlled substance with intent to manufacture MDMA, trafficking illegal drugs and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.
Change in plans based on a flawed business model
The idea to finance an education with proceeds from the sale of ecstasy could result in years behind bars.
Depending on the amount of the controlled substance, federal charges are a possibility in cases that involve trafficking. On the state level, sale charges often carry the potential for prison time. There could be room to negotiate a plea deal that limits the amount of time in custody especially for a first offense.
Additionally, the Fourth Amendment guarantees that our houses, papers, and effects are free from unreasonable searches and seizures. This means that law enforcement must generally seek a search warrant before entering a home to conduct a search. In certain cases, there could be a defect with a search warrant. Maybe the facts alleged to support the warrant were incorrect or the warrant was unsigned. Depending on the facts of the case there may be available defenses to the criminal charges.
If charged with a drug crime, immediately contacting an Oklahoma drug trafficking attorney ensures that your rights are protected. An attorney can also spot possible defenses after speaking with you about the facts of your case.
