53 Victims of the Drug War
by TChris
Because people sentenced for drug crimes are so often poor and disadvantaged, their shockingly harsh punishments gain little notice. Not so when prominent citizens are sent to prison.
David Collins of Pensacola, Florida "is among 53 mostly middle-aged and middle class defendants charged with offenses ranging from drug possession to trafficking." A state court judge today sentenced Collins to 3-1/2 years in prison.
Defense lawyer Drew Pinkerton said Collins, co-owner of Collins-Kiefer Seminars in suburban Gulf Breeze, will appeal but probably serve about 18 months even if he wins because Florida's drug trafficking law prohibits appeal bonds. "It's the most draconian law in the world," said Pinkerton, who insisted his client was a recreational user, not a trafficker. "This guy goes to prison for 42 months and half the burglars and robbers are walking around the street out there on probation."
< Errant Predictions | A Vietnam Vet Speaks Out on Today's Iraq Deaths > |