Opium Drug Trafficking Charges For Two In Raleigh

Police arrested two people in Raleigh on drug trafficking charges last week. A woman, Patricia Collins, was charged with trafficking in opium or heroin. Her bail was set at $150,000. A man, Ian Herd, was also charged with trafficking in opium or heroin; his bail was set at $100,000.

The cases are unrelated. Collins was arrested after she sold 4 grams of opium to an undercover police officer. She faces three counts of drug trafficking.

Herd was arrested when officers found 296 oxycodone pills in his possession. Investigators believe that he used his apartment as a storage and selling facility for the drugs. Oxycodone is classified as an opiate under North Carolina law.

A conviction for drug trafficking in North Carolina means a mandatory minimum sentence. Regardless of whether or not you have no other criminal history, being convicted for drug trafficking in North Carolina means spending time in jail.

Compared with other states, North Carolina’s mandatory minimums for drug sentences are quite harsh. Example North Carolina minimums as outlined in § 90-95 of the North Carolina statutes include:

• 25 months for trafficking 10 or more pounds of marijuana
• 35 months for trafficking 28 grams or more of cocaine
• 70 months for trafficking 28 grams or more of methamphetamine
• 70 months for trafficking 4 grams or more of opium or heroin

These are the baseline sentences for the listed drug trafficking offenses. The actual sentence maybe much larger depending on an existing criminal history, aggravating factors in the actual offense and larger quantities of drugs, among other reasons.

Source: News Observer, “2 charged with drug trafficking in separate Raleigh arrests,” May 12, 2012