Following up on an investigation concerning Jeremy Lawrence’s activities Framingham, Massachusetts police officers engaged in an undercover operation. In doing so they succeeded in purchasing two small baggies of cocaine from Lawrence at the Jefferson Hills Apartments. After the purchase other officers confronted Lawrence in a parking lot. Lawrence immediately placed his hands in his waistband. Officers ordered him to stop. He continued these actions until he was subdued by the police. Jeremy Lawrence was searched. Found in his possession were over fifty bags of cocaine, thirteen bags of crack and a baggie of marijuana. Lawrence was charged with trafficking cocaine and a school zone violation. The case is now pending in the Framingham District Court. Bail was set at $2,500.00.
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Dorchester Man Gets Arrested In Framingham For Drug Trafficking
Undercover operations of this nature are quite common. Officers learn from informants or through other aspects of an investigation the identity of people who might be dealing drugs. Since catching the person in the act is the best way to prove his guilty they set up undercover buys. Many times the police will pose as drug users or drug dealers, get an introduction to their suspect and gain his confidence. They arrange to purchase a specified quantity of drugs and after doing so an arrest is made. Frequently, my clients who have been arrested as a result of one of these operations ask me if this is entrapment. The simple answer is usually “no”. Entrapment in Massachusetts requires more that law enforcement placing the idea of the criminal wrongdoing in the defendant’s mind. There must be an effort to overcome the defendant’s will not to commit the crime through coercive behavior that ultimately results in him relenting and doing the act. If the district attorney shows that the defendant was already predisposed towards criminal activity then there is no coercion.
Attorney Stephen Neyman has tried and won several drug trafficking cases using an entrapment defense. These results can be viewed on our “Drug Crimes” pages and on our “Case Results” pages. If you have been charged with a drug crime in Massachusetts call our office now at 617-263-6800 or contact us online.