In case you’ve ever wondered what might happen if your number is found on a drug dealer’s phone (it’s okay) we have the answers, and you might find them interesting…
There are some of us who have spent sleepless nights spent worrying about getting ‘caught,’ on your drug dealer’s phone while others simply pass out and don’t give it a second thought…
You may think that if a phone gets picked up by police after a raid on a dealer, the first thing they would do is scroll through and track down anyone who’s been in contact with said person.
But don’t worry, you can breathe a collective sign of relief right now, as I can report that is categorically, not the case.
Omgfacts caught up with Criminal Defence Attorney, Jef Henninger from New Jersey to find out what would happen if this situation was to happen, just you know, asking for a friend I suppose…
Perhaps reassuringly, he explained going though dealer’s phones is not a priority – as he stipulated they tend to get a lot of calls – so it’s pretty unlikely they’re going to spend time doing that.
Just to make it absolutely clear, omgfacts asked Henninger again what the chances were that a policeman might go through a dealer’s phone and luckily he cleared up the matter nicely, replying with a short and sharp: “Slim to none.”
Let’s not get completely carried away with ourselves though, as there are a few occasions in which the police might probe further, including if a number appears a number of times in the call history or for a longer length of time.
Interestingly though, police are not permitted to look through a person’s phone and require a search warrant in which to do so.
Of course, there are a few teeny, tiny exceptions once again – including if it was an emergency or if police were in ‘hot pursuit’ of a particular person – in which this may be waivered.
He was quick to clarify though, that this only happens in rare circumstances and officers would need a very good reason to do so – for example if the dealer in question is linked to more serious crimes.
If the police do decide they want to speak to a person further, Henninger has some advice.
He said:
The best thing anyone should do any time they’re contacted by police is call a lawyer first. The vast majority of people are convicted by their own words.
Some people are just dumb enough to go in and say: “Yeah, I bought drugs from this guy,” or: “Yeah, I supplied him with drugs.” That’s how they really catch their convictions.
Just to be thorough, if for some reason a person is called upon to be a witness against a drug dealer, the attorney has some reassuring facts on the matter.
He added:
Most drug cases never go to trial. They’re won and lost based on whether the police violated your constitutional rights.
This is pretty interesting, it seems that if the police obtained a person’s number by an ‘illegal search’ – one without a warrant – then even if they have the suspect in the bag, the case will be thrown out for a violation of court proceedings.
One final word of warning – police are fully aware of any code names which may appear in texts and if the case is pursued, it’s likely the texter may still be incriminated – even by what is seemingly an ‘innocent’ text.
It seems the police – in the U.S at least – don’t give too many fucks about a dealer’s text and call history which probably lets a lot of people off the hook right now.
Although it may seem unlikely an officer will go through a dealer’s phone, there is always the chance that person is linked to a bigger deal… Proceed with caution.
