Also known as: narcotics
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A drug that is controlled or prohibited by law, especially an addictive opiate that dulls the senses and induces sleep. The term encompasses substances whose possession, distribution, or use triggers criminal liability or regulatory controls.
Nestor Navarro was pulled over for speeding. A certified narcotics detection dog alerted on the trunk of his car. Officers searched the vehicle and found packages of an illegal substance. The dog's alert supplied probable cause for the search.
Nathan Nguyen arrived at the airport carrying a suitcase. Officers detained the bag for ninety minutes after observing suspicious behavior. A narcotics detection dog later sniffed the luggage and alerted to the presence of contraband. The prolonged detention exceeded the limits of a reasonable investigative seizure.
Select any source to read its text and confirm it supports the definition.
Nigel Nelson, a journalist, witnessed individuals manufacturing and possessing marijuana inside a private residence. He refused to identify his sources when subpoenaed by a grand jury investigating narcotics violations. The court held that the First Amendment did not shield him from testifying about observed felonies.
Nolan Nunez was arrested after officers found narcotics in his vehicle. He was taken to the station and questioned without being advised of his rights. Statements he made during that interrogation were later suppressed at trial.
Nyah Ndlovu was stopped by officers who observed her lingering near a known narcotics distribution area. The officers conducted a limited pat-down and discovered a small quantity of a controlled substance. The stop was justified by reasonable suspicion of criminal activity.
Neville Norton filed a civil complaint alleging that Northstar Logistics conspired to distribute narcotics. The complaint contained only conclusory assertions without supporting facts showing an agreement. The court dismissed the action for failure to state a plausible claim.
A trained and certified narcotics detection dog's alert can provide probable cause to search a vehicle during a traffic stop when no special circumstances undermine the dog's reliability. Training and certification evidence can suffice without formal field performance statistics.
Supporting sources
Exposure of luggage to a trained narcotics detection dog is not a search because the sniff reveals only the presence or absence of contraband and does not expose other private information. The limited informational scope keeps the procedure outside Fourth Amendment search protections.
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A person commits an offense by appearing in a public place manifestly under the influence of narcotics not therapeutically administered to the degree that the person may endanger self, others, or property or annoy persons nearby. The offense is a petty misdemeanor after two prior convictions within one year and otherwise a violation.
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When a defendant prosecuted for a misdemeanor or petty misdemeanor is a narcotic addict and the court is authorized to order civil commitment for rehabilitative treatment, the court may order commitment and dismiss the prosecution. The commitment order may follow conviction and may set aside the verdict or judgment.
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…hardly persuasive when we consider that a grand jury inquiry, the filing of a certiorari petition, and certainly the purchase of narcotics by an undercover agent from a prospective defendant may all be equally "critical" yet provision of counsel and advice on that score have never been thought compelled by the Constitution in…