The
Appellate Division on November 14, 2016 held that Judge Marilyn C. Clark,
J.S.C. was correct in ruling that N.J.S.A. 2C:35-5(c) does not permit
the aggregation of two different types of drugs, which in this case was Heroin
and Cocaine for the purposes of charging the defendant with a first degree
crime.
Judge
Clarke held at the trial level, which the Appellate Division affirmed that
under the plain language of the statute and under the doctrine of lenity, the
language of N.J.S.A. 2C:35-5(a)(1) states that it is illegal to “manufacture,
distribute or dispense, a controlled dangerous substance.” The key
word being substance, not the plural, substances, as the prosecutor argued to
the court. Judge Clark did however ruled
that aggregation is permitted with the same substance, sold on different dates
to reach the first degree level.
Further, because possession with intent to distribute different
substances do not merge is further support that Title 35 controlled dangerous
substance crimes, are crimes that must be dealt with separately. State v. Jordan, 235 N.J. Super. 517, 520
(App. Div. 1989).
In
joint prosecution for co-defendants, the jury must also decide under N.J.S.A.
2C:35-5(c), the court noted: “Where the degree of the offense for violation of
this Section depends on the quantity of the substance, the Quantity involved
shall be determined by the trier of fact... in determining the grade of the
offense, whether distribution or dispensing is to the same person or several
persons.”
This
is a good decision for the defense bar because it interprets an area of the New
Jersey Drug Law which is often misinterpreted.
Quote
of the Day: “God offers to every
mind its choice between truth and repose.
Those who choose repose receive release from the mandates of truth; but
it is only temporary. No man or woman can reject truth forever. Those who choose truth, on the other hand,
have no rest—and so they continue to fight for justice.” Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Law Office of Vincent
J. Sanzone, Jr., Esq.
Elizabeth, N.J. Union
County, Essex, County, Ocean, Monmouth, Hudson County, Bergen County, Passaic County
Telephone: (908)
354-7706
YourCivilRights@gmail.com
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