It goes without saying that New Jersey police officers are practically obligated to arrest someone whom they find carrying weapons illegally, possessing illegal drugs, or both. And, it goes to follow that someone in this situation might be charged with drug crimes, weapons crimes, or some combination of the two.
What many New Jersey residents might not know is that they might be charged with a sort of hybrid crime if they are alleged to have guns and drugs at the same time. One Jersey City man certainly knows this after he was charged this week in relation to an incident that occurred earlier this month.
According to a criminal complaint, the man was found with varying amounts of three illegal drugs — heroin, marijuana and PCP — as well as a handgun for which he didn’t have a permit. As a result, the man was charged with possessing a gun without a permit as well as the charge of possession of a gun while in possession of drugs.
It isn’t clear why the man wasn’t charged with crimes specific to drug possession as well. However, the charges that were issued are certainly serious in and of themselves. The man in this case is only 18 years old, so he clearly will have a strong interest in minimizing any criminal penalties he might be subjected to. Consulting with an experienced New Jersey weapons crimes attorney can be of benefit to many people who are facing serious charges such as gun possession without a permit.
Source: The Jersey Journal, “Jersey City man, 18, charged with having gun while possessing PCP, heroin and marijuana,” Jonathan Lin, May 13, 2014
