When most people think of grandparents they think of baking cookies, going fishing or playing catch. Most don’t associate grandparents with drug deals, forged prescriptions and arrest records. Police say one New Jersey couple, however, traded their fishing pole and apron for painkillers and handcuffs. The grandparents were arrested recently following a raid on their home. They were charged with a variety of crimes, including drug possession with intent to sell.
After obtaining a search warrant based on tips, police raided the New Jersey home of a couple, both of whom are in their 60s. Inside they claim to have found a large quantity of prescription pills, hash oil and $16,000 cash they believed to be drug money. Allegedly, they also found forged prescriptions, the method by which police believed the couple obtained their illegal product. The husband, who was home at the time, was arrested at the scene, and the wife was arrested at her place of work soon after.
Both the husband and wife were charged with third-degree drug possession, drug possession with intent to distribute, money laundering and third degree forgery. The two were arrested for similar charges only two years ago when they lived in another state, and marijuana, prescription pills and $18,000 cash was reportedly found in their apartment. The wife was arrested yet another time in 2016 for selling prescription pills, a charge for which she apparently pleaded guilty.
Most people don’t expect to see a couple in their 60s arrested for drug charges; those accusations usually apply to those of a younger generation. The reasons why a couple of more advanced age may have find themselves in this situation vary widely and may include trying to make ends meet on a limited income, family needs, medical bills or any one of a million other reasons. Regardless of the details behind their situation, the best course of action for anyone charged with drug possession with intent to sell is to hire an experienced defense attorney, especially when there is a history of similar charges on their record.