Today, there is a vast array of ways to pay for things. If you worked as a cashier in the 1990s, you probably did most of your transactions in cash, to where you could easily make change in your head, and occasionally people would pay with personal checks and traveler's checks, which served to make the bottom of your register drawer look colorful and well-traveled when you lifted up the cash trays. It was a pain when people paid with credit cards, because you had to punch in lots of numbers on a machine that only sometimes worked.
These days, people make credit card payments by swiping the card or inserting it in the card reader, but only if they are old school; plenty of credit card transactions take place through the customer’s phone or watch. Even food trucks tell you that your only payment options are a credit card, Venmo, or Zelle, and you will even find street musicians who only accept payments that show up in phone apps; they have no need for dollar bills in their musical instrument cases.
Then there are the who swear by cryptocurrency and those who hold that precious metals are the only form of money that truly has value. Amid this vast array of options, you might be surprised to find out that police often opt for cash when they buy drugs in undercover transactions.
For help building your defenses after an arrest arising from a drug purchase by an undercover law enforcement officer, contact a Texas drug crimes attorney.
The Outcome of a Criminal Case Can Hinge on Something as Simple as Photocopying Banknotes
Controlled purchases of drugs by undercover law enforcement officers are only one stage in an ongoing investigation. As much as it would make for an entertaining movie plot, police officers do not just knock on the doors of suspicious-looking houses on a whim and see if anyone will open the door and sell them drugs. A controlled buy starts with a tip from someone that the defendant has drugs and is willing to sell them. Next, the undercover officer communicates by phone or online with the defendant, and if the defendant offers to sell drugs, the police department prepares for an undercover purchase.
The police department photocopies the bills that the undercover officer will pay to the defendant in exchange for the drugs; this is known as pre-recorded buy money. After buying the drugs, the undercover cop often leaves, and the police seek an arrest warrant, using the photocopies of the banknotes as evidence. The police persuade the judge that, if they arrest the defendant, they will find in the defendant’s possession bills with serial numbers that match the ones on the photocopies.
Contact the Law Office of Patrick J. McLain, PLLC About Criminal Defense Cases
A Dallas criminal defense lawyer can help you fight charges for selling drugs to an undercover police officer. Contact the Law Office of Patrick J. McLain, PLLC in Dallas, Texas, to discuss your case.