College Student Sues Over Mistaken Drug Bust

Based on what I've read, she did a stupid thing and should not profit from her poor judgement ... case dismissed...:boo:

When college freshman Janet Lee packed her bags for a Christmas trip home two years ago, her luggage contained three condoms filled with flour — devices that she and some friends made as a joke.

Philadelphia International Airport screeners found the condoms, and their initial tests showed they contained drugs. The Bryn Mawr College student was arrested on drug trafficking charges and jailed. Three weeks later, she was released after a lab test backed her story, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Thursday.

Lee filed a federal lawsuit last week against city police, seeking damages for pain and suffering, financial loss, and emotional distress. She was arrested on Dec. 21, 2003, and was held on $500,000 bail and faced up to 20 years in prison had she been convicted of the drug charges.

"I haven't let myself be angry about what happened, because it would tear me apart," Lee said. "I'm not sure I can bear to face it. I'm amazed at how naive I was."

Airport screeners found the condoms filled with white powder in Lee's checked luggage shortly before she was to board a plane to Los Angeles to visit her family. She said she told city police they were filled with flour. She said she made them as a joke and would squeeze them to relieve stress.

Police told her a field test showed that the powder contained opium and cocaine, according to the Inquirer. A lab test later proved the substance was flour — and prosecutors dropped the charges, the newspaper reported.

Lee's lawyers, former prosecutors David Oh and Jeremy Ibrahim, say that either the field test was faulty or someone fixed the results.

Ibrahim said lawsuit was filed near the end of the two-year statute of limitations because Lee, now a junior, was emotionally devastated.

"She lost significant face with this event," Ibrahim said.
 

Otter

Nothing to see here
kwillia said:
Three weeks later, she was released after a lab test backed her story, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Thursday.

Stupid, yeah, damn stupid...but to be held 3 weeks for flour?? Come on, someone screwed up more royally than she did. Thats exactly like cops that hold people for 'suspected' drug residue when it's cigarette ashes. Three days, I could understand, but 3 condoms full of flour should have been tested and verified to see if it was cocaine immediately. Should she be charged with something?..yes ..Should the police and everyone involved in this farce be sued? hell yeah...
 
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otter said:
Stupid, yeah, damn stupid...but to be held 3 weeks for flour?? Come on, someone screwed up more royally than she did. Thats exactly like cops that hold people for 'suspected' drug residue when it's cigarette ashes. Three days, I could understand, but 3 condoms full of flower should have been tested and verified to see if it was cocaine immediately. Should she be charged with something?..yes ..Should the police and everyone involved in this farce be sued? hell yeah...
The initial field test came back as positive. They held her for three weeks based on that until the lab test came back. I agree the circumstances surrounding the field test and why it came back with a false positive should be examined, but I think she put herself in this situation and if the test really did come up with a false positive the airport and it's security should not be faulted. Take it up with the company that provided the test. Look at it from the other perspective, I would be pizzed if I heard they let some young chickie out of jail because she claimed it was only flour only to find out that the lab results came back confirming it was drugs.
 
aps45819 said:
True, but you have to think some over zealous cop was thinking promotion if he made a big drug bust.
Over zealous? They searched her bags and found three condoms full of white powder. I don't think they were off base with their line of thinking. :rolleyes:
 

Otter

Nothing to see here
kwillia said:
Over zealous? They searched her bags and found three condoms full of white powder. I don't think they were off base with their line of thinking. :rolleyes:

They weren't off base...but that amount of cocaine had a huge street value..Owing to the girls story and the amount of suspected cocaine, it should have been verified immediately. She was judged before a trial of being guilty of dealing cocaine, not being stupid. As I said..3 days I could understand..no way in hell can I say she deserved 3 weeks for being an idiot. She will win this case if she sues, no doubt. I think someone rolled the dice for a big promotion and said it was cocaine(thinking it was) rather than test it.
 

Otter

Nothing to see here
It could have been tested and verified within hours if they saw fit, not 3 weeks wait time for lab results.
 

aps45819

24/7 Single Dad
kwillia said:
The initial field test came back as positive.
I'll bet it didn't, but the security dudes didn't believe somebody was stupid enough to carry condoms full of flower thru an airport.
 
aps45819 said:
I'll bet it didn't, but the security dudes didn't believe somebody was stupid enough to carry condoms full of flower thru an airport.
But it doesn't make sense to me that authorities would do the field test, see it was negative and knowingly lie about it knowing full well a detailed lab test would be done at some point.
 

Otter

Nothing to see here
kwillia said:
But it doesn't make sense to me that authorities would do the field test, see it was negative and knowingly lie about it knowing full well a detailed lab test would be done at some point.

The news article said "initial" test..is that a 'kinda could be" kind of test?
 
otter said:
The news article said "initial" test..is that a 'kinda could be" kind of test?

Police told her a field test showed that the powder contained opium and cocaine,

If they did indeed run field test and the test resulted in false positives, the authorities did just as they should have... as for lab results taking 3 weeks... I wouldn't know if that's a resonable amount of time or not.

If the issue is in the field testing, then that needs to be corrected, but I still think it's wrong for her to profit from such an idiotic thing to do. Suck it up and learn a lesson from it, chicka.
 
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aps45819

24/7 Single Dad
otter said:
The news article said "initial" test..is that a 'kinda could be" kind of test?
:lol: we're talking gubbermint securtity dudes that look at dirty underwear all day. They probably stuck their finger in it and tasted it like the TV cops do. :killingme
 

Otter

Nothing to see here
kwillia said:
If they did indeed run field test and the test resulted in false positives, the authorities did just as they should have... as for lab results taking 3 weeks... I wouldn't know if that's a resonable amount of time or not.

If the issue is in the field testing, then that needs to be corrected, but I still think it's wrong for her to profit from such an idiotic thing to do. Suck it up and learn a lesson from it, chicka.

Yes, she should be charged with something and learn a lesson from her stupidity...BUT you can't have cops playing games like this either, the article only stated "initial" tests..What is that?? Goober and Gomer saying 'hell yeah, its white and its powder, must be cocaine"..I highly doubt it takes 3 weeks to find out if its cocaine or flour, the police didn't care to check out her statement, they judged her guilty and never verified if it was flour or cocaine until 3 weeks after the fact.
 
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