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posted on 6/25/16

A Lake County man was arrested and charged in a massive drug case that involved high school and university students in two states.

According to Lake County Sheriff John Buncich, 20-year-old Petar Velkov began his drug selling and buying activity at Crown Point High School and continued these habits at Indiana University Northwest in Gary, where he conducted transactions with students at that campus and in Bloomington, Indianapolis, and West Lafayette. Sheriff Buncich called the investigation “eye opening” because of the amount of contraband. Peace officers seized about $65,000 worth of drugs, including 300 grams of THC oil, five pounds of marijuana, and 5,000 Xanax pills. Three juveniles, whose names were not released, were also arrested; officials expect more arrests later, as the investigation is still ongoing.

Rather curiously, despite all this alleged evidence against Mr. Velkov, Crown Point Police Chief Pete Land remarked that his department was completely unaware of the alleged drug selling activity, even though there are two school resource officers at the high school along with several drug-sniffing dogs. Therefore, some observers believe that the unnamed accomplices may have a played a much larger role than prosecutors are willing to concede.

Drug Crimes in Illinois

The Prairie State uses a drug classification system much like the one that the federal government uses. In general, substances with no medicinal value, serious side-effects, and high addiction rates are classified as either Schedule I or Schedule II drugs. These substances include dangerous “street drugs” like heroin, LSD, and cocaine. On the other end of the scale, Schedule IV and Schedule V drugs are substances with an accepted medical use, mild or moderate side-effects, and some addictive properties. Most prescription painkillers and antidepressants are Schedule IV or V drugs. Schedule III drugs, including most steroids, are in the middle of the road.

Amount is the second biggest consideration when pressing charges because as far as prosecutors are concerned, a large amount creates a presumption of intention to sell or deliver these drugs. Similarly, prosecutors may use non-drug items like weapons, cash, scales, and baggies to enhance charges.

In addition to possession and possession with intent, drug crimes also include altering a medication label, falsifying a prescription, and other similar offenses. Illinois has a limited medical marijuana law which lists thirty-nine debilitating conditions that justify a small amount of cannabis possession.

Drug Crime Defenses

In criminal cases, the prosecutor must establish guilt beyond all “reasonable doubt,” a term that Illinois does not define and prohibits judges from even attempting to define. But generally, the prosecutor must produce such overwhelming evidence that it leads to only one possible conclusion: the defendant’s guilt. Lack of evidence is one of the best defenses in any drug crime case. Some common approaches include:

  • Illegal Stop: Peace officers must have a rational basis to stop and arrest suspects, and the Supreme Court has given them considerable latitude in recent cases.
  • Basis for Warrant: Search warrants must be based on probable cause, and many are based on little more than tips from paid informants.
  • Warrant Defect: If the search warrant allows officers to search for weapons in the garage, in most cases, they may not seize drugs they find in the basement.

Drug cases often involve other constitutional issues as well. For example, a roommate or friend may or may not be able to give legal consent to search a residence.

Partner with Assertive Attorneys

Serious drug charges require an aggressive defense. For a confidential consultation with an experienced Schaumburg criminal defense attorney, contact Glasgow & Olsson. We routinely handle matters in Cook County and nearby jurisdictions.

(photo courtesy of Dodgerton Skillhuas)