Can your roommate show the police your drug stash?

| Jun 21, 2021 | Drug Crimes

You and your roommate aren’t exactly friends — but you generally operate on a “live and let live” basis. You were shocked and dismayed, then, when your roommate sold you out to the police over the occasional drug sale you made to your friends.

Worse, when the police showed up to ask questions, your roommate took them right to your stash. Now, even though you never thought of yourself as a drug dealer (since you only sold a little extra to finance your own habit), you’re facing serious drug charges.

Is that kind of search and seizure legal?

Leaving your roommate’s moral justifications aside, the legal justification for the police search could be in question.

Generally, your roommate can give the police the right to search any common areas, but they cannot give the police access to your personal space. In other words, if you were hiding your stash in the cookie jar in the kitchen or under the lid of the toilet tank in the bathroom, your roomie had the right to grant permission for the search.

If, however, your roommate walked the police into your bedroom and pointed to the Altoids tins in your desk where you keep your stash of pills and marijuana, then the search is probably not justified.

If a police search is in violation of your civil rights, there’s a possibility that the evidence they seized may never make it into court.

Do you know your rights well enough to protect yourself?

Most people don’t. When you’re facing serious drug charges, your future is at stake. Don’t let a single mistake ruin your life. Talk to an experienced advocate about your situation — before you talk to the police.

FindLaw Network

Categories

Archives