When people in Virginia are alleged to have large amounts of drugs on them or in their vehicles, prosecutors do their best to try to make the drug charges stick. One man who was arrested recently in Virginia may discover the extent to which police and prosecutors will go to seek a conviction. He is accused of possessing and transporting a sizeable amount of synthetic marijuana.

According to Virginia authorities, the accused man, who hails from Kingsport, Tennessee, was pulled over for a simple traffic violation. When officers looked into his 2005 Chevy van, they spotted what was thought to be a gun on the seat. The gun turned out to be a toy, but its appearance caused the officers to search the vehicle. Police claim to have discovered an estimated 2,700 containers of alleged synthetic marijuana, along with more than $13,000 in cash.

The suspect told police that he often delivers synthetic drugs to merchants in four states: Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee. He claimed that he was a middleman and that he delivered the substance to convenience stores. He was charged with felony possession of synthetic narcotics.

The laws concerning synthetic drugs vary from state to state and even from city to city. Tennessee, for example, is less strict on synthetic drugs than Virginia. This may be one reason individuals are transporting and selling the substance at such an increased rate. The sellers simply do not know what the laws are in various locales and from one state to the next. The accused individual in this case may be best served by working with an experienced criminal defense attorney who understands drug crimes and the current laws applying to synthetic drugs.

Source: tricities.com, "Kingsport man arrested in Va.; charged with felony possession of synthetic drugs," Allie Robinson, Dec. 24, 2011