Undercover Detective Buys Drugs From Manager of Pizzeria

Pizza is always a treat, but especially if you have the munchies, and Pizzano’s Pizzeria in Lake Wales delivers the goods.  Lots of people go there to satisfy their pizza cravings after smoking weed, and cannabis sale and possession has been decriminalized in so many contexts in Florida that if you have a bag of weed in your pocket when you pick up your pizza, you probably don’t have to bother trying to explain to the cops that you are too cheap to buy your own oregano from Publix, so you filled up an empty baggie with some of the oregano from the pizza place.  Two managers at a pizzeria restaurant in Lake Wales are currently facing criminal charges after an undercover detective repeatedly bought illegal drugs from them.  If you are facing charges after an undercover law enforcement officer targeted you, contact a Florida drug offenses attorney.

How Operation Special Toppings Went Down

Undercover operations in drug cases often begin when investigators receive a tip that drug sales are taking place at a particular location.  This summer, Operation Special Topics launched after someone told police that Leon Griffith, a manager at Pizzano’s Pizza, was selling drugs at the restaurant.  An undercover detective called the restaurant and asked for Griffith’s cell phone number.  The detective then called Griffith on his personal number, and Griffith allegedly told him that he had drugs for sale.  The detective asked for cannabis, and Griffith brought it to him.  Several days later, the detective asked for more drugs, and Griffith told him to meet him in the restaurant parking lot on Thursday.  When the detective arrived, Griffith came out to the parking lot and sold Adderall, cocaine, and Xanax to the detective.  After the exchange of money and drugs, police arrested Griffith and searched the restaurant.  They found methamphetamine in the purse of Hailee Sullivan, who is an assistant manager at the restaurant.

You Are Still Innocent Until Proven Guilty After an Undercover Officer Buys Drugs From You

Like all defendants in criminal cases, Griffith and Sullivan are presumed innocent until proven guilty.  Even if your arrest occurred in the context of an undercover operation, you still have the right to review all of the evidence that the prosecution plans to use against you and to present defenses.  For example, you might argue that the results of the forensic tests are incorrect, and the substances that the police confiscated from you are not illegal drugs; misidentification of substances by crime labs is more common than you might think.  You might also claim that entrapment played a role, with the undercover officers inducing you to commit a crime that you would not have committed without their participation.

Contact FL Drug Defense Group About Undercover Drug Sale Cases

A Central Florida criminal defense lawyer can help you if you are facing criminal charges for selling illegal drugs to an undercover cop.  Contact FL Drug Defense Group in Orlando, Florida to discuss your case.

Source:

wesh.com/article/pizza-shop-drugs-florida/44317922#