Raleigh Student Arrested On Marijuana Drug Charges

19-year-old Raleigh student Shaquell Autry was charged with a felony drug offense after police found him with 46 baggies of marijuana. He is facing criminal charges of possession with intent to sell or deliver marijuana.

Autry already has a history of drug offenses, according to a magistrate involved in the current case. He was on probation for a misdemeanor drug offense from April: possession of drug paraphernalia. His bond in the current drug case is set at $7,000.

What Raises Simple Possession To Possession With Intent To Sell?

In North Carolina, you can be charged with possession with intent to sell or deliver regardless of the amount of drugs you were found with. If there are other indicators of your ‘intent to sell,’ you will likely face more than simple possession charges. These indicators may include:

• Possession of a large amount of cash, particularly made up of smaller bills
• Possession of individually packed quantities of marijuana
• Possession of drug packaging paraphernalia, such as a scale
• Possession of drug paraphernalia

In addition, the location of your arrest may be considered by law enforcement as an indicator of intent to sell or distribute. Were you in an area known for drug deals? Then you may be facing intent to sell drug charges.

Despite the presence of any of these indicators of intent to sell or distribute drugs, an experienced drug crimes defense attorney may be able to argue that the drugs were in fact for personal use, allowing for the reduction of a felony charge to a misdemeanor.

Source: News Observer, “Police charge Raleigh man had dozens of bags of marijuana,” October 19, 2012