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Drug Crimes

06 September

Drug Detection Dog Search in a Secured Apartment Building – Get a Warrant!

North Star Criminal Defense | Case Law Updates, Constitutional Rights, Drug Crimes, Uncategorized

This week, the Minnesota Court of Appeals issued an important decision, pulling back the expanding usage of drug detection dogs for searches of controlled substances. In State v. Edstrom, the Court of Appeals held that law enforcement must get a warrant (or have an exception to...

10 February

Entrapment Defense

North Star Criminal Defense | Drug Crimes, Sex Crimes/Child Pornography Crimes

The entrapment defense is an affirmative defense that may defeat charges against a defendant. It can apply to many kinds of charges, including drug crimes and solicitation of a prostitute. An entrapment defense exists when law enforcement lures a defendant into committing an offense to which...

01 August

Drug Crime Sentencing – New Laws Effective Today

North Star Criminal Defense | Drug Crimes, Felonies

Effective today - Aug. 1 - Minnesota's drug laws received a much needed update for drug crime sentencing. An antiquated system more in tune with the failed "War on Drugs" from previous decades is finally abolished in favor of greater flexibility for judges, allowing them...

27 February

City of Minneapolis Marijuana Laws Will Now Match State Laws

North Star Criminal Defense | Drug Crimes

The City of Minneapolis - never one to hold back in pursuing criminal "justice" - is correcting a ridiculous inconsistency between its own laws and those of this State. The City Council voted unanimously on Friday to reduce possession of small amounts of marijuana from...

12 February

Expungement of Drug Charges in Minnesota

North Star Criminal Defense | Case Law Updates, Drug Crimes, Expungement

One of the grounds for a statutory expungement is for certain drug charges. Pursuant to Minn. Stat. 609A.02, subd. 1, a person may seek an expungement of a drug charges in which the person received a statutory stay of adjudication for 4th or 5th degree drug possession...

18 January

Confidential Informant’s Identity May Be Disclosed

North Star Criminal Defense | Drug Crimes, Evidence, Felonies

Often, the State relies upon snitches (or, more politically correct - a confidential informant ("CI")) to prove their case against a defendant. You see this often in drug cases. The State values this 'insider' information and will do everything it can to protect their confidential...

08 November

Subsequent Drug Crime Convictions in Minnesota

North Star Criminal Defense | Drug Crimes, Felonies

[EDITOR'S NOTE: The law has changed since this post. Here is a link about the law change on this topic: https://www.northstarcriminaldefense.com/drug-crime-sentencing-new-laws-effective-today/] For possession or sale drug crimes, the penalties imposed depend on where the criminal act falls on the first through fifth degree spectrum. As detailed here,...